Courtesy of Norm Pattis:

James Wilson was appointed by George Washington along with five others on September 24, 1789. He was sworn in on October 5, 1789, thus becoming the first Justice on the Supreme Court.
Despite an ambition to serve as chief, he was passed over for the position thrice: in 1789, 1795 and again in 1796. "Increasingly during the 1790s Wilson became overextended in his investments and overwhelmed by financial distress. Twice he was jailed for debt. Eventually, to escape creditors he went into hiding in North Carolina.”