WITHERSPOON, JOHN

born Feb. 15, 1723, Gifford, East Lothian, Scot.

died Nov. 15, 1794, Tusculum, N.J., U.S.

Scottish-American clergyman.

Ordained a Presbyterian minister (1745), he served in Scottish parishes until 1768, when he was sent to North America to become president of the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University). As president, he expanded the curriculum and increased enrollment. A supporter of colonists' rights, he was a member of the local Committee of Correspondence (1775–76) and the Continental Congress (1776–79, 1780–82); he was the only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence . He helped organize the American Presbyterian Church as a national body (1785–89).