Jonathan Dickinson was a Presbyterian minister born in Hatfield, Massachusetts in 1688, who after graduating from Yale and being ordained in 1709 devoted nearly four decades to pastoral work across New Jersey and surrounding areas. He was a prominent leader during the Whitefieldian revival, defending authentic religious experience while cautioning against excesses, and played a key role in the Presbyterian Church’s development in the colonies. Dickinson also helped originate the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University), serving as its first president upon its founding in 1746 until his death in 1747.