Was James Wilson the most educated of the founding fathers?

Answer 1

James Wilson was arguably the most educated of the founding fathers. His formal education included St. Andrews University in Scotland, one of the most prestigious educational institutions of his day. He later studied law under one of the most prestigious lawyers of his day, John Dickinson, (at a time when study under a practitioner was the principal method of instruction). The references to be found in Wilson's collected works, as determined by McCloskey in the Harvard University Press edition, are extraordinary. Wilson taught Latin at what was to become the University of Pennsylvania. At one time he was also a professor of literature. He was the first Professor of Law to lecture on the American Constitution of 1789 (of which he was the principal author and, according to Harvard's Bernard Bailyn, the principal force behind its ratification) and his initial lecture was attended by President and Mrs. Washington and Vice-President and Mrs. Adams. Those who would suggest Thomas Jefferson as an alternative may not have read Jefferson's "Notes on Virginia," although Jefferson was widely read.

When Washington (in Virginia) wanted to secure a legal education for his favorite nephew, he requested Wilson (in Pennsylvania) to take on the task of Buford Washington's legal education. Dr. Benjamin Rush had also had a fine education in Scotland, but was not Wilson's mental equal, and James Madison had to swot up a quick course in government to help in his task at the Constitutional Convention, despite his studies at what was to become Princeton. Several of Wilson's contemporaries commented on the breadth of his knowledge.