Description:

Wilson James

James Wilson, Declaration & Constitution Signer, Signs Bill of Exchange for Large Debt

A Bill of Exchange signed by James Wilson (1742-1798), Declaration and Constitution Signer and later Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, as "James Wilson" near lower left recto. Written in Richmond, Virginia on June 5, 1795. On watermarked cream laid paper. A portion of the document has been excised at lower right. Expected paper folds, some well-worn. Else near fine. 7.875" x 6".

Promissory notes and bills of exchange often passed as a form of currency in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In this case, an unidentified person (the drawer) wrote a bill of exchange to James Wilson (the drawee) to pay $2,000 to merchants Hicks & Campbell of Richmond (the payee). Hicks & Campbell immediately assigned it to merchants Smith and Ridgway of Philadelphia (the endorsee). James Wilson accepted the bill eighteen days later, effectively acknowledging his duty to pay $2,000 to Smith and Ridgway. This bill of exchange was likely part of a land speculation in which Wilson was involved. $2,000 in 1795 was the equivalent of $40,000 in 2019 currency.

Complete Transcript

RECTO

"Richmond 5th June 1795

 

For 2000 Dollars

 

At Sixty days sight of this my only Bill of Exchange, please to pay Messrs Hicks & Campbell or order Two Thousand Dollars for Value received, and charge the same to acct as advised ~ by ~ Sir

Your most obt Servt

[signature clipped]

The honl / James Wilson esq / of Philadelphia

[Endorsement:] 23d June 1795/ Accepted by

James Wilson."

VERSO

"Richmond 5th June 1795

 

Pay the within to Messrs Smith & Ridgway or order.

 

Hicks & Campbell" .

James Wilson invested heavily in land, including lands in western Pennsylvania in cooperation with Théophile Cazenove, while sitting on the U.S. Supreme Court bench.  The Panic of 1796-1797 left Wilson bankrupt. He was briefly imprisoned for debt in New Jersey, but his son paid his debt. Wilson traveled to North Carolina to escape other creditors but was again briefly imprisoned. In 1798, he suffered a stroke perhaps related to malaria and died in North Carolina.

James Wilson was born in Scotland and immigrated to Philadelphia in 1776, where he became a teacher at the College of Philadelphia. He later established a law practice at Reading, Pennsylvania. He served as president of the Illinois-Wabash Company, a land speculation venture. Twice elected to the Continental Congress, Wilson signed the Declaration of Independence. Later elected to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, he was a member of the Committee of Detail that drafted the United States Constitution, which he later signed and helped convince Pennsylvania to ratify. Wilson served as one of the first Associate Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1789 until his death in 1798. He also served as a founder of the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Hicks & Campbell was a merchant partnership between John Hicks and Robert Campbell in Richmond, Virginia. They also engaged in extensive land speculation.

Smith & Ridgway was a Philadelphia real estate and shipping partnership between Quaker brothers-in-law James Smith (c. 1759-1826) and Jacob Ridgway (1769-1843). At his death, Ridgway was the wealthiest capitalist in Philadelphia, and second only to John Jacob Astor in the United States.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
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$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
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