'The Lost Founder' profiles a brilliant lawyer who helped craft the Constitution

DAVE DAVIES, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. I'm Dave Davies. As we celebrate America's 250th birthday, we'll hear a lot about George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and others. But what if I told you that one of the nation's founders, one of only six who signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, a critical voice at the Constitutional Convention, and arguably the man most responsible for the government we've had for two centuries is someone you've never heard of? That's precisely the case made by our guest today, Jesse Wegman. He's a journalist who writes about the Constitution and democracy. Wegman's new book is about James Wilson, a man regarded as one of the American colonies' most brilliant lawyers in the late 18th century and one who led a colorful and impactful life. He was nearly killed during the Revolutionary War when rioters attacked his house in Philadelphia. He later became a Supreme Court justice and died at the age of 55 in the back room of a tavern in North Carolina, on the run from the law and creditors. But Wegman argues that a careful review of records from the founding show that James Wilson was a highly influential figure in crafting the Constitution and a powerful voice for democracy, insisting that direct rule by the people should be the guiding principle of the new government. Jesse Wegman served for 12 years on the editorial board of The New York Times. He's currently a senior fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice. …