John Witherspoon (1745-1813)
 In
colonial American, the best educated men were often found in the
clergy, and the best example of this is the Rev. John Witherspoon.
In 1776 he was the President of the College of New Jersey, which
later became Princeton. The College of New Jersey was founded
in 1746 by the Presbyterian Church. Its official motto was, "Under
God's Power She Flourishes." Its first president, the
predecessor to John Witherspoon declared, "Cursed be all
learning that is contrary to the cross of Christ."
If James Madison is called the "Father of the Constitution,"
his teacher and mentor, John Witherspoon is rightly the "Grandfather
of the Constitution." John Witherspoon's emphasis on biblical
principals was tremendously felt in the colonies during the foundation
of America. His students at the College of New Jersey included
a President, Vice President, three Supreme Court Justices,
ten Cabinet members, twelve Governors, twenty-one Senators, thirty-nine
Representatives and numerous delegates to the Constitutional Convention.
Like many Founding Fathers, Witherspoon was not born in America,
but he did receive the finest education available to a bright
young gentleman of that era. Before he was twenty years old he
attended the preparatory school in Haddington Scotland, then studied
at Edinburgh where he attained a Master of Arts, and finally four
years of divinity school.
In 1743 John Witherspoon became a Presbyterian Minister at a
parish in Beith, where he married, and authored three noted works
on theology. He was later awarded a Doctorate of Divinity from
the University of St. Andrews, in recognition of his theological
skills.
Through a protracted effort on the part of several eminent Americans,
including Richard Stockton and Benjamin Rush, John Witherspoon
was offered the presidency of the College of New Jersey. Witherspoon
was at first unable to accept the offer, due to his wife's great
fear of crossing the sea. She later had second thoughts, and a
visit from the charming Dr. Rush secured the deal. He emigrated
to New Jersey in 1768.
Witherspoon was firm but good-humored in his leadership and instituted
a number of reforms, including modeling the syllabus and university
structure on that used at the University of St Andrews and other
Scottish universities. Witherspoon was very popular among both
faculty and students, among them James Madison and Aaron Burr.
As the College's primary occupation at the time was training ministers,
Witherspoon was a major leader of the early Presbyterian Church
in America.
 As
a native Scotsman long wary of the power of the British Crown,
Witherspoon soon came to support the Revolution, joining the Committee
of Correspondence and Safety in early 1776. He was elected to
the Continental Congress and, in July 1776, voted for the Resolution
for Independence. In answer to an objection that the country was
not yet ready for independence, he replied that it "was not
only ripe for the measure, but in danger of rotting for the want
of it." He was praised by George Washington, John Adams and
Benjamin Franklin for his devotion to the Revolutionary cause.
For the same reason, he was denounced with unusual vehemence by
the British press. In November, 1778, as British forces neared,
he closed and evacuated the College of New Jersey. The buildings
were nearly destroyed, and Witherspoon was responsible for its
rebuilding after the war, which caused him great personal and
financial difficulty.
Witherspoon was not an advocate of "Separation of Church
and State" as we practice that concept today. In fact, he
saw religion and patriotism as inseparable. He stated, "It
is the man of piety and inward principal that we may be expected
to find the uncorrupted patriot."
In 1776 the Continental Congress proclaimed a national day of
fasting and prayer. Witherspoon concurred and in a speech declared
where he thought the true strength of America was centered, "While
we give praise to God, the supreme disposer of all events, for
his interposition on our behalf, let us guard against the dangerous
error of trusting in, or boasting of, an arm of the flesh."
 After
the Revolution, John Witherspoon also served twice in the New
Jersey Legislature, and strongly supported the adoption of the
United States Constitution during the New Jersey ratification
debates. He suffered a series of eye injuries and was blind by
1792. But that didn't stop his interest in politics. In 1789 he
headed a committee in the New Jersey Legislature to abolish slavery.
He died on his farm Tusculum, just outside of Princeton, and is
buried in the Princeton Cemetery. In Princeton today, a dormitory
built in 1877, the street running north from the University's
main gate, and the local public middle school each bear his name.
A statue of Witherspoon stands beside East Pyne Hall.
After his death, John Adams admired him as, "A true son
of liberty. So he was. But first, he was a son of the Cross."
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