John Witherspoon

The Reverend John Witherspoon
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	(1723-02-05)February 5, 1723 Yester, Gifford, East Lothian, Scotland
Died	November 15, 1794(1794-11-15) (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.