Witherspoon, John
signer of the declaration of independence, was born Feb. 5, 1722, in Scotland. In 1766 he came to America, having been elected president of Princeton college. He was a member of the first constitutional convention of New Jersey in 1776; was a signer of the declaration of independence, and was a delegate to the continental congress from 1776 to 1782, and signed the articles of confederation. He served in the legislature, and at the same time frequently occupied the pulpit. He was the author of Ecclesiastical Characteristics; Thoughts on American Liberty; Sermons on Practical Subjects; Leading Truths of the Gospel; Letters on Marriage; and Sermons on Various Subjects. He died Nov. 15, 1794, in Princeton, N. J.