I’d like to start off this review with a slight tangent (because I am clearly a professional). One of the harder conversations to have as a history nerd is when people throw a random name or event at you, and become perplexed when you reveal you don’t know anything about it. “How could you not know?” will inevitably be asked, and I do my best to respond politely as opposed to saying what I really think which is, “I can’t know all of human ——- history, Brad!”
Anyway, I had no idea who the heck James Wilson was before I started the exceptional The Lost Founder by Jesse Wegman. So right off the bat, Wegman clearly nailed it with the title! This is also slightly embarrassing because while my opening anecdote still stands, the American Revolution time period is my jam. So, not knowing the name of one of the six people that signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution is proof that I am still an idiot. I’ve accepted this fact long ago.
Wilson was not an idiot. In fact, we have him to thank for quite a few things that I guarantee you know, but I won’t spoil. More importantly, I think Wegman tells this story perfectly. The text comes in a little under 300 pages, but Wegman makes it feel like you are getting the full story without slowing down. Additionally, and this is my favorite part, Wegman does not pull any punches. Wilson is admirable in many ways, but we don’t know him as well as the other founders for some very valid reasons. The author lets you see the full personality of Wilson without falling into full-on hero worship. This is one of the best books on a Founding Father I have read in quite a bit of time.
(This book was provided as an advanced reader copy by Celadon Books.)
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