John Witherspoon

1723–1794

John Witherspoon (1723 – 1794) was a Scottish-American Presbyterian minister, theologian, and college presidentwho led the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University),

shaped its curriculum, and trained a generation of early American leaders in both faith and civic responsibility. A signer of the Declaration of Independence and delegate to the Continental Congress from New Jersey, he played a significant role in the American Revolution and the founding of the United States, bringing Reformed principles to the nation’s political and educational life.

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John Witherspoon is buried at Princeton Cemetery, Princeton, New Jersey.
Clock formerly owned by John Witherspoon at the Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (photo credit: R. Andrew Myers).
The John Witherspoon statue by Alexander Stirling Calder, located at the Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Statue of “Doctor John Witherspoon” located near Dupont Circle, Washington, D.C.
Witherspoon statue at Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey.
The Tusculum Estate in Princeton, New Jersey was the home of John Witherspoon.
John Witherspoon served as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Princeton, New Jersey from 1768 to 1793.
Signature of John Witherspoon on the 1781 Articles of Confederation (New Jersey delegates signed the document on November 26, 1778).
Signature of John Witherspoon on the 1776 U.S. Declaration of Independence (Witherspoon signed it on August 2, 1776).

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