In council he was wise and firm, but always prudent and moderateThe office of Judge of the province was never filled with more integrity and learning that it was by him for several years before the revolution. Son of James Alexander Witherspoon, III and Anne Witherspoon Worthy to note: John Witherspoon, the only clergyman to sign our Declaration of Independence was the nephew of both Margaret and Janette Witherspoon. Dr. Stockton had the honor of personally presenting to King George III an address of the trustees of the College of New Jersey, acknowledging the repeal of the Stamp Act, and his address was favorably received by the king. Trevor Colbourn (Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 1974) 181. He argued that the colonies should be represented in the Parliament. 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. John later became a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas. Reason second, I am obnoxious, suspected, and unpopular; you are very much otherwise. Two weeks later, on August 2, 1776, the Congress met again at the State House in Philadelphia to formalize with their legislatures what they had adopted a month before. If so, login to add it. Witherspoon's mother's name has alternatively been spelled as "Anna Walker". [2], He was then moved to Provost Prison in New York where he was intentionally starved and subjected to freezing cold weather. John Witherspoons American Revolution. Mailer, Gideon. The time had come to vote again on Richard Henry Lee's resolution. But Philadelphia was 80 miles away and a torrential rainstorm was swamping the region between the two cities. The practice was also impolitic, as slaves never are so good or faithful servants, as those who become so for a limited time by consent. Stockton was appointed by Congress, along with fellow signer George Clymer, to an exhausting two-month journey to Fort Ticonderoga, Saratoga and Albany, New York to assist the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. 2009. From 1758 to 1768, he was minister of the Laigh Kirk, Paisley (Low Kirk). Stocktons oldest daughter Julia wed Dr. Benjamin Rush in January 1776, six months later Rush signed the Declaration of Independence. In Princeton a rumor started by Mr. Cochran, a Tory, claiming Stockton had taken General Howe's protection caused Stockton to be spoken against for a short time, but "Mr Cochran's known quarrel with him makes it very doubtful to candid persons" Rev. This is the same day, just the difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars. John attended the preparatory school in Haddington Scotland. John Witherspoon was born into a ministerial family near Edinburgh on Feb. 5, 1723. Here were the elite of the 18th century America, but few were elitist. These 56 men who spoke for two and a half million American free men were a spectacular group of individuals. Username and password are case sensitive. On June 26th, this Livingston petitioned the New York Assembly so that he could leave the state convention and rejoin Congress in Philadelphia. He was an affectionate husband, a tender parent and a cordial friend. 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. Although he remained in prison for only a month, his health was broken. Ramsay, the celebrated historian. Born: February 15, 1723. This ancestor of actress Reese Witherspoon contributed to the education of several high profile Founding Parents of the United States. Another daughter, Ann, married Samuel Stanhope Smith, who succeeded Witherspoon as president of Princeton. Fleming H. Revell Company: 1906. He immediately began fund-raisinglocally and back home in Scotlandadded three hundred of his own books to the library, and began purchasing scientific equipment including the Rittenhouse orrery, many maps, and a terrestrial globe. In the last years of life he suffered injuries, first to one eye then the other, becoming totally blind two years before his death. The historian Douglass Adair writes, "The syllabus of Witherspoon's lectures . John Witherspoon (1723-1794) was a Scottish-born American Presbyterian divine and educator. In answer to an objection that the country was not yet ready for independence, according to tradition he replied that it "was not only ripe for the measure, but in danger of rotting for the want of it.". Witherspoon also helped organize Nassau Presbyterian Church in Princeton, New Jersey. (Painting by Charles Willson Peale, public domain via Wikimedia Commons). The University's Committee on Naming is reviewing a proposal to remove or replace a campus statue of John Witherspoon, an influential figure in the American Revolution who owned slaves during his time as Princeton's president. They understood quite clearly that they were indeed pledging "to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor. [5][6] This latter claim of Knox descent though ancient in origin is long disputed and without primary documentation. On Tuesday, May 11th 1779, he died at the age of 66. Ranging in age from 26 (Edward Rutledge) to 70 (Benjamin Franklin), they were for the most part materially well-off in colonial society. Despite personal setbacks Witherspoon never lost his belief that America would prevail in the struggle for independence. In August 2021, the Princeton School Board voted to remove John Witherspoon's name from the local public middle school due to Witherspoon's history as a slave owner who opposed abolition. I have the honor to be, madam youre most obedient and respectful servant, G. Washington. Many of the letters they wrote are included in Stocktons Biography His Sacred Honor. Clara Elizabeth Judgwyn , Edward Parrish, Philippa de Luxembourg , Jean I de Hainaut, Elizabeth Parrott , John Beauford. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 2 daughters. Arms, as a last resort, must decide the contest.". He also wrote frequent essays on subjects of interest to the colonies. John Knox Witherspoon (1723-1794)clergyman, educator, and founding fatherserved as Princeton's sixth president from 1768 until his death in 1794. John Knox was his ancestor. He attended grammar school at the neighboring town of Haddington. He first took a moderate stance in the troubles between the colonies and England. New Jersey was overrun by the British in November of '76, when he was returning from the mission. Witherspoon became the only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence. His own health began to deteriorate and he was dead by the third anniversary of the signing of the Declaration. John Knox Witherspoon, Signer of the & Princeton, Mercer, New Jersey, United States, President of College of New Jersey [present Princeton], Presbyterian minister, Signer of Declaration Of Independance, Elizabeth Montgomery (29 May 1722 - 1 October 1789), Anne Witherspoon (23 July 1749 - 1 April 1817), Christian Witherspoon, d.s.p. Born in Scotland and educated at the University of Edinburgh, Witherspoon was a prominent 18th-century intellectual associated with the moral philosophy of the Scottish Enlightenment. As one colleague reported, "He would lay aside the cloth to take revenge on them, I believe he would send them to the devil if he could." Penn Wharton School & America's Four United Republics Curriculum Two important ones included the Committee on Secret Correspondence and the Board of War. After much soul-searching, Hewes decided that his belief in liberty outweighed his pacifist convictions, and he joined those urging separation from England. ", Although the Stamp Act was subsequently repealed, it had been followed by the Townshend Acts and the Writs of Assistance in 1767, the Boston Massacre in 1770, increasing interference in colonial governments, the Boston Port Bill in 1774, and other "injuries and usurpations, all having, in direct object, the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states.". To which the witty Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania replied: "Yes, we must all hang together, or most assuredly, we shall all hang separately. Witherspoon worked with fellow Presbyterians and Congregationalists to ensure that the Anglican Church did not become the established church of the new nation as it had been in some of the states, but he believed that members of the clergy had the same right to participate in politics as others did. There was no debate or discussion. John is 15 degrees from Margaret Atwood, 18 degrees from Jim Carrey, 16 degrees from Elsie Knott, 19 degrees from Gordon Lightfoot, 20 degrees from Alton Parker, 22 degrees from Beatrice Tillman, 18 degrees from Jenny Trout, 18 degrees from Justin Trudeau, 19 degrees from Edwin Boyd, 16 degrees from Barbara Hanley, 25 degrees from Fanny Rosenfeld and 17 degrees from Cathryn Hondros on our single family tree. Her parents are still legally married, although they separated in 1996. Such was the caliber of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence, the men who risked their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to establish the American Republic and guarantee our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. External links:Richard Stockton at the Biographical Directory of the United States CongressBiography by Rev. A week later Stocktons son-in-law and fellow signer Dr. Benjamin Rush wrote At Princeton I met my wifes father who had been plundered of all his household furniture and stock by the British army, and carried a prisoner to New York, from whence he was permitted to return to his family upon parole.. Witherspoon Street, in: Princeton, New Jersey; Pomfret, John E.. '"Witherspoon, John" in. Related Information | Philip Stockton, Susanna Pintard, Oct 1 1730 - Morven, Princeton, New Jersey, Feb 28 1781 - Morven, Princeton, New Jersey, Annis Stockton (Signer Of Declaration Of Independence) (born Boudinot), Oct 1 1730 - Princeton, Mercer, New Jersey, United States, Feb 28 1781 - Princeton, Mercer, New Jersey, United States, dinot Rush (born Stockton), Mary Stockton, Susan Stockton, Lucius Horatio Stockton, Abigal Field, Abigail Stockton, Stockton, Hon. Family. The U.S. National Archives contains other messages showing that Washington duly contacted General Howe in New York regarding the exchange or release of Stockton and others. He is one of only six signers to be honored. He said that "undaunted resolution was displayed on every countenance.". Scotland's DNA Like John Adams and Patrick Henry, he was an outspoken Patriot, advocating independence from Great Britain. Stockton initially showed little interest in politics. Williamsburg, Virginia, Omohundro Institute of American History and Culture and Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2017. If Parliament "may take from me one shilling in the pound," argued Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, "what security have I for the other nineteen? Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, Witherspoon Street School for Colored Children, Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence, "Petition regarding the statue of John Witherspoon on Firestone Plaza", "LibGuides: African American Studies: Slavery at Princeton", Science and Religion in America, 18001860, "Statue / Monument of John Witherspoon in Washington DC by Sculptor William Couper", "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania", "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Witherspoon Building", "Princeton School Board changes name of John Witherspoon Middle School", "Welcome witherspoonsociety.org - BlueHost.com", "Presbyterian Voices for Justice celebrates its history as it donates to three social justice causes", Biography on Princeton University's website, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. 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Had come to vote again on Richard Henry Lee 's resolution that his belief Liberty...
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john witherspoon declaration of independence family tree