He became, indeed. President of Congress and
received Washington's resignation in the historic
scene at Annapolis after the war. As Mifflin rose
in fame and position he was suspected of a critical
attitude toward Washington and was unjustly
accused of being a party to the Conway Cabal. He

44



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AMERICA'S FIRST UNIVERSITY

maintained his old allegiance, however, and in receiv-
ing Washington's resignation made a particularly
graceful and eloquent reply. "You retire," said
he in closing, "from the theatre of action with the
blessings of your fellow-citizens; but the glory of
your virtues will not terminate with your military
command: it will continue to animate remotest
ages." He was long a member of the Pennsyl-
vania Assembly, Governor and member of the
Convention which formed the National Constitu-
tion. He was a Trustee of the College.
James Wilson was one of the most distin-
guished lawyers of his day^ He was professor of
English in the College in 1773^ received the degrees
A.M. in 1766 and LL.D. in 1790. He founded the
Law School of the University in 1790, the first on
the Continent, was the first Professor of Law and
a Trustee. He was a member of Congress until
1787, a signer of the Declaration of Independence
and member of the Constitutional Convention, in
which he was intellectually the ablest of the mem-
bers. He is said to have had much, if not most,
to do with the writing of the Constitution of the
United States and was appointed a Justice of the
National Supreme Court in 1789 by President
Washington, who had already recognized his ability
by placing his nephew Bushrod under him.
