John Witherspoon came to the colonies in 1768 to serve as president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton). He was highly educated, receiving a Master of Arts and a Doctorate of Divinity, and was a successful Presbyterian minister and theologian in Scotland before coming to America. Witherspoon was a popular and successful leader of the college, and wrote essays on topics of interest to the colonies. He initially avoided political involvement but eventually supported the revolutionary cause, serving on committees and being elected to the Continental Congress. Witherspoon was an active member of Congress, serving on more than a hundred committees and debating frequently. He evacuated the college during the war, but devoted his life to rebuilding it after the war. Witherspoon suffered injuries that left him blind before his death in 1794.
