5
February 1723 A.D. John
Witherspoon Born—Presbyterian Clergyman, President of Princeton College, &
Signer of Declaration of Independence
John Witherspoon (1723 to 1794)
Presbyterian
Educator to America
John Witherspoon was born at Yester, Scotland. He
matriculated to the University of Scotland at age 13, received his M.A. in
1739, and 1743 graduated in divinity. A leader in the Popular Party of the
Scottish church, he advocated purity of doctrine, the rights of the local
church to choose their own pastors, and he opposed the liberalizing tendencies
of the Moderates. He emigrated to America in 1768 to become president of the
College of New Jersey (later, Princeton). Though the school suffered great
losses during the Revolution, Witherspoon revitalized it, adding new courses
with new teachers, all the while strengthening the financial strucure of the
institution. Politically, he arrived as a delegate to the Continental Congress
in Philadelphia just in time to support the Declaration of Independence, the
only clergyman to sign it.
No comments:
Post a Comment