John Witherspoon, one of the five Signers of the Declaration of Independence from New Jersey, was also the only signer who was an active minister at the time as well as president of Princeton University.
His grandson, John C. Breckinridge, who later fought with the Confederacy in the Civil War and was a Kentucky state representative before serving in Congress, went on to become the 14th vice president of the United States, serving under President James Buchanan, Jr.
Witherspoon was born in February 1723 in Scotland where went to the University of St. Andrews, earning his degrees in Divinity and arts before earning another degree of Master of Arts from the University of Edinburgh. He was married to Elizabeth Montgomery in 1748 when both were members of the same church in Scotland.
After marrying and starting a family Witherspoon and his wife and children came to the United States in the 1760s.
Witherspoon was strongly influenced by Richard Stockton and Benjamin Rush and accepted their offer to be President of the American College of New Jersey, now known as Princeton. The list of students he taught is impressive: 37 students became judges, three for the US Supreme Court, 12 served in the Continental Congress, 18 became senators and 49 became congressmen. One of them, James Madison, also became President of the nation Witherspoon helped form with his signature on the Declaration. Although not as worthy of pride, Witherspoon also taught Aaron Burr at Princeton.
The patriot was first introduced to the skirmish between the colonies and England in 1774 and joined the Committee of Correspondence. He also wrote and published his speech on the Dominion of Providences over the Passions of Men to inspire colonists about being more open and stronger in fighting for independence.
When asked to be a New Jersey delegate to the Continental Congress, Witherspoon, who also served as Congressional chaplain, used his belief in the concepts of Scottish common sense and realism in fighting for independence. He served in the Second Continental Congress signing the Declaration, then later he signed the Articles of Confederation, and was a strong supporter of ratifying the Constitution.
He was regarded as one of the most influential members of the Congress and known to fight without end for the goals in which he believed. He retired from Congress in 1782 and died in 1794.
The couple had ten children, however, only five survived to adulthood. Their oldest son James, graduated From Princeton, joined the Continental Army as a General’s aide and was killed at the Battle of Germantown in 1777.
Son John also graduated from Princeton and practiced medicine in South Carolina before he was lost at sea in 1795.
A third son , David, graduated Princeton the same year as his brother John and practiced law in New Bern, North Carolina.
The couple’s oldest daughter Anna, married the Reverend Samuel Smith, who succeeded Witherspoon as president of Princeton in 1795.
Frances, the youngest daughter, married Dr. David Ramsay, a delegate from South Carolina to the Continental Congress.
Through the years, Witherspoon also received sharp criticism for his stand on slavery. In the 21st century, the former John Witherspoon Middletown School in Princeton had its name changed when the board of education voted he should not be recognized since he had been a slave owner. The dispute went on for two years until it was agreed to change them to honor the area, not any particular person and Princeton Middle School is now the name of the Walnut Lane school.
While Witherspoon owned slaves he lectured against it, his lectures on Moral Philosophy” advocated humane treatment of laborers, servants and slaves, stating:
“This relation is first generated by the difference which God hath permitted to take place between man and man. Some are superior to others in mental powers and intellectual improvement—some by the great increase of their property through their own, or their predecessors industry, and some make it their choice, finding they cannot live otherwise better, to let out their labor to others for hire.”
There are numerous records in history that showed Witherspoon’s care and concern for slaves, including accounts of how he cared for and financed impoverished former slaves during his lifetime.
The signer of the Declaration suffered eye injuries and was blind for the last two years of his life. He died in 1794 on his farm Tusculum and is buried at Princeton Cemetery along Presidents Row. His inventory at the time of his death included two slaves, valued at one hundred dollars each.
There are statues of Witherspoon at Princeton, the Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia, and the University of the West of Scotland in Paisley, Scotland as well as at N Street NW and Connecticut Ave., Washington, DC. The Witherspoon Hall at Princeton and the Witherspoon Building in Market East in Philadelphia, are buildings named in his honor.
In numerous historical records, the Signer’s first name is identified as Jonathon. However, it is clear from records at Princeton and the actual signature on the Declaration, that Witherspoon’s first name was John.
