John Witherspoon | |
|---|---|
,_President_(1768-94).jpg) Portrait by Charles Willson Peale, c. 1790 | |
| 6th President of Princeton University | |
| In office 1768–1794 | |
| Preceded by | John Blair (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Samuel Stanhope Smith |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 5, 1723 Yester, Gifford, East Lothian, Scotland |
| Died | November 15, 1794 (aged 71) Tusculum, Princeton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Resting place | Princeton Cemetery |
| Nationality | American/Scottish |
| Relatives | John C. Breckinridge (great-grandson) |
| Education | University of Edinburgh (MA) |
| Occupation | Clergyman and theologian |
| Signature |  |
John Witherspoon (February 5, 1723 – November 15, 1794) was a Scottish-American Presbyterian minister, educator, farmer, slaveholder, and a Founding Father of the United States.[1] Witherspoon embraced the concepts of Scottish common sense realism, and while president of the College of New Jersey (1768–1794; now Princeton University) became an influential figure in the development of the United States' national character. Politically active, Witherspoon was a delegate from New Jersey to the Second Continental Congress and a signatory to the July 4, 1776, Declaration of Independence. He was the only active clergyman and the only college president to sign the Declaration.[2] Later, he signed the Articles of Confederation and supported ratification of the Constitution of the United States.
In 1789 he was convening moderator of the First General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America.
- ^ Longfield, Bradley J. (2013). Presbyterians and American Culture: A History. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press. pp. 40–41. ISBN 9780664231569. Retrieved November 6, 2015..
- ^ "Princeton Presidents". Princeton University. Retrieved July 16, 2010.