Jesse Wegman - Author of the Lost Founder

In The Lost Founder, New York Times journalist Jesse Wegman tells the story of James Wilson, a Founding Father whose bold vision shaped American democracy but whose legacy was lost to scandal.

“With insight and eloquence, Jesse Wegman has done heroic work in bringing a vital but obscure architect of America back into the popular conversation. As Wegman amply proves, James Wilson merits our reconsideration—and our gratitude.”

“I like to think James Madison would be miffed that James Wilson has finally gotten his due as a major framer of the U.S. Constitution. Jesse Wegman’s spellbinding and erudite biography, revealing Wilson’s crucial and often cantankerous role as America’s most democratic founder, could not arrive at a better time.”

“Jesse Wegman has written a gripping and deeply researched work of American history. The man who coined ‘We the People,’ James Wilson believed that power resided in the people themselves, foreseeing a democratic future the country is still struggling to achieve. The Lost Founder restores Wilson to his rightful place and challenges us to reconsider what popular sovereignty really means.”

Jesse Wegman is a Senior Fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, where he writes Major Questions, a newsletter on Supreme Court reform. He was a member of The New York Times editorial board from 2013 to 2025, writing about law and politics, electoral reform, and the future of American democracy. His first book, Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College, was published in 2020.

Major Questions Newsletter

Americans’ trust in the Supreme Court is lower than ever. Every two weeks, the Brennan Center’s Jesse Wegman shines a light on one of the most powerful and least transparent institutions in American government.