John Witherspoon

 John Witherspoon (born February 15 1723, (feb. 5, 1722 old-style), Gifford East Lothian, Scot.-–died on November 15, 1794, in Tusculum N.J. U.S.) was a Scottish-American Presbyterian pastor and president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). He was also the first person to be assigned to the parish of Beith and after 1757, he became the pastor of Paisley. He was a conservative member of the church and often took part in the ecclesiastical controversy. In 1768, he left Paisley to assume the presidency of the College of New Jersey. He was welcomed with open arms by the American Presbyterian Church and contributed significantly to its revitalization and growth. Witherspoon was a strong college president. He widened the scope of the college's curriculum, provided scientific equipment, and worked to increase enrollment and the endowment. He presided over the Somerset County Committee of Correspondence (1775-76) and was an active participant in two provincial congresses, and was a delegate to the Continental Congress (1776-79, 1780-82), where in 1776 He was a fervent advocate of adopting the resolution for independence.