John Witherspoon

Founding Fathers

John Witherspoon
State | New Jersey
Religion | Christian- Presbyterian [1]
Founding Documents | Declaration of Independence,
Articles of Confederation

John Witherspoon (February 5, 1723 – November 15, 1794) was a minister, college president, and member of the Continental Congress.

## Contents

* 1 Early life
* 2 Career
* 3 Continental Congress
* 4 Later life
* 5 Quotes
* 6 See also
* 7 References
* 8 External links

## Early life[edit]

Witherspoon was born in Gifford, East Lothian, Scotland in February 1722. At the age of fourteen he attended the University of Edinburgh, and when he was twenty-one he followed in his father's footsteps and became a Church of Scotland minister.

## Career[edit]

Witherspoon wrote an acclaimed theological series while installed as pastor, first at Beith, Ayrshire, and then as minister of the Laigh Kirk ("Low Church") in Paisley. In 1766, he declined his election to the presidency of the College of New Jersey (now University) in the American Colonies because his wife, Elizabeth Montgomery, was reluctant to leave Scotland. However, due to the influence of friends, the family decided to move to the Colonies to accept the job offer in August 1768.[2]

He was inaugurated to the position of president of Princeton College in 1774, and contributed a significant amount of books to the university's library. One of Witherspoon's greatest contributions during his tenure as president was his endeavor to unite the Presbyterian Church in America.

## Continental Congress[edit]

His involvement in politics began during his time serving as president of Princeton, where he wrote numerous articles criticizing British rule in America. On June 22, 1776, after taking part as a member of the Provincial congress in the overthrow of the authority of the royal governor, William Franklin, Witherspoon was elected to represent New Jersey in the Second Continental Congress.[3]

He was a strong advocate of the Declaration of Independence and grew impatient as congress members debated the merits of the document. Witherspoon voted affirmative for independence on July 2, 1776. During the British occupation, they took over large parts of New Jersey, including Princeton and surrounding areas. During this time, they deliberately vandalized buildings at the college and burned its library to the ground.[4] In the waning hours of the Battle of Princeton, British forces barricaded themselves in Nassau Hall. It took Witherspoon years to rebuild the college after the battles ended.[5]

After the Battle of Germantown in 1777, Witherspoon received the sad news that his son James, a major in the Continental Army, had been killed.[6][7][8]

## Later life[edit]

In 1779, after more than six years and service in more than one hundred committees, Witherspoon voluntarily retired from his seat in the Continental Congress. He was persuaded to return to Congress in 1780, but at the close of 1782, he again retired from political life.

## Quotes[edit]

* "Some nations have given parents the power of life and death over their children....... We have denied the power of life and death to parents." - Lectures on Moral Authority: Relation of Parents and Children[9]

## See also[edit]

* William Houston

## References[edit]

1. ↑ http://www.adherents.com/gov/Founding_Fathers_Religion.html
2. ↑ http://etcweb.princeton.edu/CampusWWW/Companion/witherspoon_john.html
3. ↑ http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/witherspoon.htm
4. ↑ John Witherspoon's American Revolution
5. ↑ The Presbyterians
6. ↑ Proceedings and Collections, Wyoming Historical Society
7. ↑ The Battle of Germantown
8. ↑ The Piety of John Witherspoon
9. ↑ The Works of John Witherspoon, D.D., pp. 91-92

## External links[edit]

* Lectures on Moral Philosophy
* The dominion of Providence over the passions of men

v • d • e

Declaration of Independence

Grievances of the United States Declaration of Independence
Forming Committee|

Thomas Jefferson • Roger Sherman • Benjamin Franklin • Robert R. Livingston • John Adams

The drafting committee presenting the Declaration of Independence to the Continental Congress, painted by John Trumbull 1817–1819.

New Hampshire|

Josiah Bartlett • William Whipple • Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts|

John Hancock • Samuel Adams • John Adams • Robert Treat Paine • Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island|

Stephen Hopkins • William Ellery

Connecticut|

Roger Sherman • Samuel Huntington • William Williams • Oliver Wolcott

New York|

William Floyd • Philip Livingston • Francis Lewis • Lewis Morris

New Jersey|

Richard Stockton • John Witherspoon • Francis Hopkinson • John Hart • Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania|

Robert Morris • Benjamin Rush • Benjamin Franklin • John Morton • George Clymer • James Smith • George Taylor • James Wilson • George Ross

Delaware|

Caesar Rodney • George Read • Thomas McKean

Maryland|

Samuel Chase • William Paca • Thomas Stone • Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia|

George Wythe • Richard Henry Lee • Thomas Jefferson • Benjamin Harrison • Thomas Nelson, Jr. • Francis Lightfoot Lee • Carter Braxton

North Carolina|

William Hooper • Joseph Hewes • John Penn

South Carolina|

Edward Rutledge • Thomas Heyward Jr. • Thomas Lynch, Jr. • Arthur Middleton

Georgia|

Button Gwinnett • Lyman Hall • George Walton