James Wilson (September 14, 1742 – August 21, 1798) was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence. Wilson was elected two times to the Continental Congress, and was a major force in drafting the United States Constitution. He was a leading legal thinker, and he was one of the first six justices appointed by George Washington to the Supreme Court of the United States. Wilson was born in Scotland, but lived most of his life in Pennsylvania.