February 5, 1723 – Birth of John Witherspoon, Only Clergyman to Sign Declaration of Independence

John Witherspoon, born on this day in history in Scotland, was a Presbyterian minister who at age 45 accepted an invitation to come to the American colonies and preside as the sixth president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). Witherspoon was an early supporter of the conflict with Britain, and was elected a delegate to the Second Continental Congress, serving there from June 1776 until November 1782 in a prominent capacity.

John Witherspoon

Witherspoon became the only clergyman and college president to sign the Declaration of Independence. Later, he signed the Articles of Confederation and supported ratification of the Constitution. In 1789 he was convening moderator of the First General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America.

At Princeton, Witherspoon added to the library and instituted a number of reforms, including modeling the syllabus and university structure after that used at the University of Edinburgh and other Scottish universities. He firmed up entrance requirements, which helped the school compete with Harvard and Yale for scholars.

Witherspoon also required that students take a course in moral philosophy. From among his students came 37 judges (three of whom became justices of the U.S. Supreme Court); 10 Cabinet officers; 12 members of the Continental Congress, 28 U.S. senators, and 49 United States congressmen.

Witherspoon died in 1794 on his farm just outside Princeton, and is buried along Presidents Row in Princeton Cemetery. An inventory of Witherspoon’s possessions taken at his death included “two slaves … valued at a hundred dollars each,” according to a Princeton University Library post on slavery at Princeton.