Witherspoon was an early convert to the Patriot cause, and the British considered his college to be a seminary of sedition (Morrison 2005: 13). His library, one of the finest in the colonies, was burned. (14 August 1750 - 1756), James Witherspoon, Major (17 November 1751 - 4 October 1777), Barbara Witherspoon, d.s.p. The settled opinion among the American founding fathers, including Dr. Witherspoon, was that slavery would eventually disappear naturally within a generation. On July 1, 1776, Richard Stockton and his good friend Rev. Most of the 4,836 colonists who took advantage of the proclamation had done so before Trenton while British troops were enjoying their greatest success; AT NO TIME, however, HAD A LEADING REBEL SOUGHT PARDON. In 1743 he became a Presbyterian Minister at a parish in Beith, where he married, authored three noted works on theology. Seventeen signers lost everything they owned, and all of them were hunted as traitors, with most separated from their homes and families. The wife of William Floyd escaped with her children by boat across Long Island Sound into Connecticut and died in 1781 without ever again seeing her home. Norton and Company, Inc.; 1972 page 195:British officers and rebels agreed the proclamation of November 30 had been a failure. On his return to Princeton, he traveled 30 miles east to the home of a friend, John Covenhoven, to evacuate his family to safety, and away from the path of the British army. Firm but good-humored in his leadership, Witherspoon was very popular among both faculty and students. But even as late as January 6, 1776, the Congress adopted a resolution stating that the colonies, "had no design to set up as an independent nation." 1823, SOURCE: The Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. One night in Edinburgh, Stockton was attacked by a robber and he defended himself skillfully with a small sword, the surprised and wounded robber fled. Trustees of Princeton University. These 56 men who spoke for two and a half million American free men were a spectacular group of individuals. In 1780 he was elected to a one-year term in the New Jersey Legislative Council representing Somerset County. Born February 5, 1723 (Gifford, Scotland) Died November 15, 1794 (Princeton, New Jersey) Protestant theologian, educator. Since that period, he hath represented New-Jersey in the congress of the United States. In January, however, a sensational pamphlet appeared in Philadelphia and stirred more revolutionary fervor than anything that had been written to that time. Politically active, Witherspoon was a delegate from New Jersey to the Second Continental Congress and a signatory to the July 4, 1776, Declaration of Independence. The map below shows the places where the ancestors of the famous person lived. This page was last edited on 8 January 2023, at 19:20. Source: Independence Hall Association, Signers of the Declaration of Independence, Richard Stockton, 1730-1781 - http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/stockton.htm, In 1768, Stockton had his first taste of government service when he was appointed to the governing Council of New Jersey; he was later (1774) appointed to the New Jersey Supreme Court. So terribly was he ravaged by the disease that he wore a green silk scarf over part of his face, and was described by one colleague as "an animated skeleton, with a bandaged head.". Located in Princeton, it promotes the application of fundamental principles of republican government and ordered liberty to contemporary problems through a variety of centers, research programs, seminars, consultations, and publications. [11] During his two pastorates he wrote three well-known works on theology, notably the satire "Ecclesiastical Characteristics" (1753),[12] which opposed the philosophical influence of Francis Hutcheson.[13]. When other members of Congress heard of the plight of the Clark sons, they ordered George Washington to take a British prisoner, preferably an officer, and starve him to death in a dark hole. Arms, as a last resort, must decide the contest.". Civil government owed more to the latter than the former in Witherspoon's Presbyterian doctrine. [9] "Common report, moreover, may be attributed to Judge Stockton some of the exploits of a distant cousin, Major Richard Stockton an obnoxious Tory, who did take Howe's protection and went over to the British until he was captured in Feb. The three South Carolinians were given their freedom in a prisoner exchange in late 1781. John Witherspoon brought some impressive credentials and a measure of public acclaim with him when he joined the colonies in 1768, as president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton). Richard Stockton was betrayed by a loyalist and seized by the British, who subjected him to beatings and starvation. He is one of only six signers to be honored. The President's House in Princeton, New Jersey, was his home from 1768 to 1779 and is a U.S. National Historic Landmark. Susannah later married Thomas Leonard and remained in Princeton after her husbands death. Born in Scotland, John lived there for the first half of his adult life, marrying and having children there, and becoming a Presbyterian minister. A young English woman Esther DeBerdt, engaged to Stocktons former law student Joseph Reed remarked, I like Mr. Stockton exceedingly. John Knox Witherspoon (1723-1794)clergyman, educator, and founding fatherserved as Princeton's sixth president from 1768 until his death in 1794. However, in this framework, non-Christian societies could have virtue, which, by his definition, could be found in natural law. John Witherspoon is Don Rigali . The ancestors of Richard "The Emigrant" Stockton are not known. . Born in Scotland and educated at the University of Edinburgh, Witherspoon was well known for his publications in Scotland before he was invited to be president of the College of New Jersey (todays Princeton University), where he succeeded Jonathan Edwards and served from 1768 until 1794. 03.12('53) DVD Americans prominently involved with First Amendment issues, prohibited clergymen from serving in the state legislature, http://mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/1233/john-witherspoon. He is co-editor of the. John C. Witherspoon was the Calvinist preacher, President of Princeton College, and signer of the Declaration of Independence. John Witherspoon (1723-1794)John Witherspoon was the only active clergyman among the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Stockton was the first person from New Jersey to sign the Declaration of Independence. Few with a knowledge of history would have predicted anything but disaster and ruin for those gathered in Philadelphia during the first week of August in 1776. I'm researching for a member of his family. Stockton was an active and influential member of Congress. John is first cousin to Rev. They had held a Stamp Act Congress in New York during September 1765, and that same year formed the Sons of Liberty, which one observer called, "a mob of gentlemen." No one changed his mind. Let us shortly consider (1.) In November 1777, as British forces neared, Witherspoon closed and evacuated the College of New Jersey. And like Pictet, Witherspoon was eager to show that the truths of supernatural revelation could be squared with reason. On July 2, 1776, the day of the vote on independence, another delegate claimed that America wasn't yet ripe enough for independence. Miss Montgomery, at an early age, and at the time of his immigration had three sons and two daughters. Senators, and 49 U.S. In 1777, all members of Congress and Washington's Army were required to take the oath of allegiance to the United States. He suggested, however, that the state might enact a law that all slaves born after its passage should be free at a certain agee.g., 28 years, as in Pennsylvania, although in his optimistic opinion the state of society in America and the progress of the idea of universal liberty gave little reason to believe that there would be any slaves at all in America in 28 years time, and precipitation therefore might do more harm than good. For Gods sake my dear sir, upon the receipt of this collect all the shoes and stockings you can, and send them off for Albany in light wagons; a couple of two horse wagons will bring a great many, which may be distributed among our several Regiments who will be all together at Tyconderoga in a few days if any breeches, gloves and coats be ready send them along; but do not wait for them if the shoes and stockings are ready, and the others notwe have dispatches from General Gates this morning informing that he hourly expects to be attacked by the Enemy; but our works are very strong and a Boom thrown across the water from Tyconderoga to prevent the enemies shipping from getting below us, therefore I trust with the blessing of Almighty God, that we shall disappoint their wishes and sanguinary purposesBut shall the brave troops from New Jersey stand in lines half leg deep in snow without shoes or stockingGod forbid. He would not live see his country win independence. Dr. Benjamin Rush wrote: The whole of Mr. Stocktons furniture, apparel, and even valuable writings have been burnt. Philip Livingston lost two homes and much of his business property, but was able to sell some of his remaining holdings to help maintain the credit of the United States. Her parents are still legally married, although they separated in 1996. Upon his arrival, Witherspoon found the school in debt, with weak instruction, and a library collection which clearly failed to meet student needs. Page 201.The Collections of the Manuscript Division, Library of Congress. The colonies' most respected doctors, educators, and clergymen were numbered among their ranks. Despite personal setbacks Witherspoon never lost his belief that America would prevail in the struggle for independence. His wife was poet Annis Boudinot Stockton, sister of New Jersey statesman Elias Boudinot. He fought against the flood of paper money and opposed the issuance of bonds without provision for their amortization. Whatever their status that August, the 56 men who eventually signed the Declaration of Independence were under no illusions. He also obtained a Master of Arts from the University of Edinburgh in 1739. How far this subjection extends. This is the same day, just the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars. This address, from a person of your refined taste and elegance of expression, affords a pleasure beyond my powers of utterance, and I have only to lament that the hero of your pastoral is not more deserving of your pen; but the circumstance shall be placed among the happiest events of my life. The black gowned students of Princeton surrounded the door to Nassau Hall and cheered as Washington entered. Witherspoon served in Congress from June 1776 until November 1782 and became one of its most influential members and a workhorse of prodigious energy. Moses Coit Tyler "President Witherspoon in the American Revolution" The American Historical Review Volume 1, Issue 1, July 1896. pp. But a declining health, and a constitution worn out with application and with service, obliged him, shortly after, to retire from the line of public duty, and hath at length dismissed him from the world." [28][n 5] She worked . He was awarded a Doctorate of Divinity from the University of St Andrews, Fife. Named after John Witherspoon, one of the signers of the United States Declaration of Independence, the . In colonial American, the best educated men were often found in the clergy. Although Livingston later won the election by one vote, Stockton was unanimously elected to serve as the Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, but he turned down that position to remain in the Congress. Handkerchief in hand they lashed at the hungry pests to no avail.". John later became a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas. John attended the preparatory school in Haddington Scotland. Witherspoon Society, an organization of laypeople within the. He married Mary Witherspoon about 1754, in Ireland. When his health permitted, Stockton attempted to earn a living by reopening his law practice and teaching new students. Hancock is also reported to have said that "we must be unanimous. Jimmy Witherspoon, born in Arkansas, was a master of the blues. Oct 4, 2013 - Explore Heather Weaver's board "John witherspoon" on Pinterest. James, the eldest, graduated from Princeton in 1770 and joined the Continental Army as an aide to General Francis Nash, with the rank of major and was killed at the Battle of Germantown on October 4, 1777. In 1766 and 1767, he gave up his law practice for the purpose of visiting England, Scotland, and Ireland. A Signer of the Declaration of Independence Under Attack. Nelson, who died in poverty after paying off his wartime debts "like an honest man," said he was only honoring a pledge he had made six years before. Delaware was called next by Charles Thompson, the clerk of the Congress, and Caesar Rodney, in a tired but clear voice, responded: "As I believe the voice of my constituents and of all sensible and honest men is in favor of independence, and my own judgment concurs with them, I vote for independence.". Witherspoon had been a prominent evangelical Presbyterian minister in Scotland before accepting the Princeton position. Declaration House | I shall empty my portmanteau of the stockings I have for my own use on this journey, excepting a pair to take back home, but this is a drop of water in the Ocean. Richard Stocktons heartfelt compassion for his fellow countrymen in dire need of everything was apparent in his letter as he was one of the few signers that actually traveled with the Continental Army. He became an invalid and died at Princeton on February 28, 1781. Rush. Meanwhile, the New York State Convention had finally voted to allow its delegates to approve the Declaration, and on July 15th New York became the 13th colony to affirm independence. When the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America met in 1789, 52 of the 188 delegates had studied under Witherspoon. He held to old concepts from the Roman Republic of virtuous leadership by civil magistrates, but he also regularly recommended that his students read such modern philosophers as Machiavelli, Montesquieu, and David Hume, even though he disapproved of Hume's "infidel" stance on religion. According to John Witherspoon, he arrived on or before July 3rd. Father of Julia Rush; Mary Hunter; Susannah Cuhtburt; Sen. Richard Stockton; Lucius Horatio Stockton and 2 others; Abigail Field and Abigail Dunbar less Feb 5 1723 - East Lothian, Ecosse, Royaume-Uni, Nov 15 1794 - Princeton, Comt De Mercer, New Jersey, tats-Unis, Princeton Cemetery, Princeton, New Jersey, United States, Feb 5 1722 - Gifford, East, Lothian, Scotland, Nov 15 1794 - Princeton, Mercer, New Jersey, Scottish-American Presbyterian Minister And A Founding Father Of The United States, Manse Of Yester, Gifford, East Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom, Princeton Cemetery, Princeton, New Jersey. John Penn signed America's first governing document, the Articles of Confederation, as well as the Declaration of Independence. Following the Jacobite victory at the Battle of Falkirk, he was briefly imprisoned at Doune Castle,[10] which had a long-term effect on his health. His fame preceded him and he was received by the most eminent men of the kingdom. There he married Catherine Williams, the daughter of a Welsh planter in Antigua, West Indies. [3], Over 12,000 prisoners died in the prison ships and prisons in New York compared to 4,435 soldiers that died in combat over the six years of war. He also signed the 1774 Petition to the King. A statue of Richard Stockton by Henry Kirke Brown was dedicated by congressional proceedings in 1888 and placed in Statuary Hall in the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. Stockton is one of only six signers to be so honored. Although many took the pardon, Stockton never did and was marched to Perth Amboy where he was put in irons, and brutally treated as a common criminal. John Witherspoons American Revolution. George III. Eleven delegates were prosperous merchants, nine were wealthy farmers or landowners, and 24 were lawyers or judges. John Witherspoon arrived in Philadelphia to take their place as new members of Congress meeting at the State House (now Independence Hall). Nothing was ever written about doubts of Stockton's loyalty in any of the papers of members of Congress, or in any newspapers or books of the time. He was the only active clergyman and the only college president to sign the Declaration. John Penn - John Penn was a self-taught lawyer whose main duty during the Revolutionary War was to keep the North Carolina militia supported with supplies. Related Information | Born in Scotland to a family of clergymen, he was trained to become a Presbyterian minister. At the age of 45, he became the sixth president of the college, later known as Princeton University. John Witherspoon (17231794) was the only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation as well as serve at the convention that ratified the U.S. Constitution in New Jersey. Stockton was given a parole by General Howe in mid January, requiring him to no longer participate in the war effort as was common on both sides. But Philadelphia was 80 miles away and a torrential rainstorm was swamping the region between the two cities. Adair, "James Madison", Fame and the Founding Fathers, ed. He quickly sided with the patriots who favored independence, and in June 1776, he was elected to Congress. Williamsburg, Virginia, Omohundro Institute of American History and Culture and Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2017. Congressmen. He spoke often in debate; helped draft the Articles of Confederation; helped organize the executive departments; played a major role in shaping foreign policy; and drew up the instructions for the peace commissioners. He was the only active clergyman and the only college president to sign the Declaration. John Witherspoon (February 5, 1723 - November 15, 1794) was a Scottish-American Presbyterian minister, educator, farmer, slaveholder, and a Founding Father of the United States. John Witherspoon was the only clergyman and the only college president to sign the Declaration of Independence. They were moral men, and all men of integrity who had been welded together in a common purpose. Rev. John Witherspoon was an American Founding Father, a noted clergyman, and an educator.He played an influential role in his home country of Scotland and in his adopted country, the United States.Witherspoon was the only clergyman to sign the Declaration of . Representing New Jersey at the Continental Congress. On Tuesday, May 11th 1779, he died at the age of 66. He helped organize Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton, New Jersey. His son Richard "The Builder" bought 5,500 acres of land from William Penn in Princeton, New Jersey and settled there with his wife Susannah (nee Witham) Robinson. He remained at the University to study divinity. Witherspoon's mother's name has alternatively been spelled as "Anna Walker". 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