17
August 1768 A.D. John
Witherspoon Sworn in as President of Princeton—Scots
Presbyterian & Signer of “Declaration of Independence”
Graves,
Dan. “President Witherspoon of Princeton.”
Christianity.com. Apr 2007.
http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1701-1800/president-witherspoon-of-princeton-11630277.html. Accessed 17 May 2014.
Princeton tried hard to acquire John Witherspoon as
president of their college. Witherspoon, a Scottish preacher, had a large and
successful ministry in his homeland and was reluctant to leave it for the new
world. His wife was even more reluctant. It took the persuasion of Benjamin
Rush to get her to agree to the move. Finally Witherspoon made the decision and
gave his assent. He sailed for America and stepped into history as the sole
clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence.
His welcome at the college was
all he could wish. In every window of Princeton's Nassau Building lamps were
lit and shone across the countryside for miles. On this day,
August 17, 1768, the godly man was sworn in. His
inaugural was simple, consisting not even of a speech. He simply took his oaths
before the board. He did not give an inauguration address until a month later.
By then he had discovered something the negotiators had not told him: the
college was in financial chaos. The trustees even had to borrow money to meet
his salary.
Witherspoon was a man of
presence and of great energy. Perhaps only George Washington commanded more
respect than he in that day. With the decisive action that characterized him,
he soon put the school on a firm financial footing.
America revolted from England.
Witherspoon was no stranger to rebellion. Years before, when the
"Pretender" landed in Scotland, Witherspoon had led a militia to join
the Royalists who resisted the "Pretender". Captured by the enemy forces,
he was imprisoned. If in Scotland he sided against the insurgents, in America
he joined them. His voice was so influential that Horace Walpole commented,
"Cousin America has eloped with a Presbyterian Parson." He was a
delegate to the Continental Congress and served in the New Jersey legislature.
Witherspoon did not neglect his
school duties for politics nor let down his spiritual standards. From the very
start he emphasized that Christ would be the center of education at Princeton.
He taught its strict Calvinist theology (and whatever other classes were needed). He added French, history,
international law, philosophy and speech to the college curriculum. Of the 478
graduates he trained, many rose to occupy high offices. This man who had
learned to read at four and who was strong in Latin, Hebrew, and Greek at 13,
proved a capable educator.
During the American
Revolutionary War, the college was kept afloat only by his perseverance. Both
friend and foe ransacked the buildings.
John Witherspoon's life was not
all roses. He suffered from insomnia and over-sensitivity to smells. After his
capture by the "Pretender" he became nervous and expected to die at
any time. The girl he first proposed to refused to marry him although she wrote
him letters the rest of her life.
Bibliography:
1. Collins, Varnum Lansing. President Witherspoon. New York: Arno Press, 1969.
2. Kunitz, Stanley. American authors, 1600-1900: a biographical
dictionary of American literature. New York: The H. W. Wilson
company, 1938.
3. Stohlman, Martha Lou Lemmon. John Witherspoon : parson, politician, patriot.
Philadelphia : Westminster Press, 1976.
4. Woods, David Walker, jr. John Witherspoon. New York: Fleming H.
Revell Company, 1906. Source of the image.
Last updated April,
2007.
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