The Reverend John Witherspoon

Most Presbyterians are acquainted with John Witherspoon, the only ordained minister to sign the Declaration of Independence. Few realize that he was a distant cousin of Harriet Witherspoon Simmons, known to most of us as Happy Simmons, our former church secretary. Reverend Witherspoon had an extremely influential life that played a positive role in the foundation of the Presbyterian Church in this country, and he was influential in the founding of our nation and our system of higher education.

John Witherspoon was born in Gifford, Scotland in 1723. He was educated at the University of Edinburgh, where he received his M.A. in 1739 and a divinity degree in 1743. He was licensed to preach by the Presbyterian Church in 1743 and ordained at Beith in 1745 where he remained until called to Paisley (near Glasgow) in 1757. Witherspoon was a stern, conservative, orthodox churchman who carried on a 20 year running battle with what he saw as the decadence of the church in his day.

In 1768, he was called to the colonies to become President of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). For eight years he devoted himself to enlarging and improving the college, making it more than a school for ministers; and at the same time, he became a true leader among colonial Presbyterians. He stood firmly with the colonies in the growing dispute with Great Britain; and by 1776, when the war forced closing of the college, he had already served on numerous committees and attended conventions in pursuit of freedom. In that year, he was elected to the Continental Congress and signed the Declaration of Independence.

He served with prominence in the Congress until 1782 when he returned to Princeton to reopen and rebuild the college. In the years that followed he had a strong influence on that great institution where his students included twelve who attended the Continental Congress, five delegates to the Constitutional Convention, one president—James Madison, one vice president—Aaron Burr, 49 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, 28 U.S. Senators, three Supreme Court justices, one Secretary of State, and three Attorneys General. During this period he continued active in public affairs, serving twice in the New Jersey Legislature and in the state constitutional ratifying convention.

After a four year effort, he was instrumental in 1789 in forming the first General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church serving as the first moderator. He died near Princeton on November 15, 1794.

His combined impact on the Presbyterian Church, our federal government, and our educational system is without parallel. Happy Witherspoon Simmons has reason to be proud of her cousin!

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