Samuel Bayard was an American lawyer, jurist, and civic leader born in Philadelphia who graduated as valedictorian from Princeton College and went on to serve as clerk of the U.S. Supreme Court, presiding judge in New Jersey, and treasurer and trustee of Princeton College. He was deeply involved in early American religious and educational institutions, helping to found the Princeton Theological Seminary and the American Bible Society while also serving for decades as a ruling elder at the First (Nassau) Presbyterian Church in Princeton.