Witherspoon eschewed politics in America until 1774, but after that he steadily participated, directly and indirectly, in the leading events of the day. The second time his life was preserved was in Ireland. She later had second thoughts, and a visit from the charming Dr. John Witherspoon participated in the American Revolution. Lately Stockton has been maligned by a few writers claiming that Stockton took a pardon from General Howe and swore allegiance to the king. He resigned his royal appointments and New Jersey elected him to the Continental Congress in June 1776. This article was originally published in 2009. The main building, Nassau Hall, was badly damaged and his papers and personal notes were lost. His sons later moved from Hopewell, but his daughters' married men from the surrounding area. American actress, producer, and entrepreneur, Born on March 22, 1976 Have you taken a DNA test? Amidst all the compliments which have been made on this occasion, be assured, madam, that the agreeable manner, and the very pleasing sentiments in which yours is conveyed, have affected my mind with the most lively sensations of joy and satisfaction. Two important ones included the Committee on Secret Correspondence and the Board of War. John is first cousin to Rev. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. "I am a merchant of New York, but I am a Virginian first," he declared in the House of Burgesses. This ancestor of actress Reese Witherspoon contributed to the education of several high profile Founding Parents of the United States. The President's House in Princeton, New Jersey, was his home from 1768 to 1779 and is a U.S. National Historic Landmark. Rev. Anna, the eldest daughter, married Reverend Samuel Smith on June 28, 1775. Witherspoon was at first unable to accept the offer, due to his wife's great fear of crossing the sea. He voted in favor, and shortly after voted for the Declaration of Independence. in Gifford, East Lothian, Scotland , United Kingdom, Died on November 15, 1794 The Stocktons had six children. He married Mary Witherspoon about 1754, in Ireland. Philip STOCKTON, Rev. He applied himself to the study of law under the honorable David Ogden of Newark, at that time the most eminent lawyer in the province. In 1768, Stockton had his first taste of government service when he was elevated to a seat in the New Jersey Provincial Council; he was later (1774) appointed to the provincial New Jersey Supreme Court. In 1888, the state of New Jersey donated a marble statue of Stockton to the National Statuary Hall Collection at the United States Capitol. Witherspoon, in accordance with the Scottish moral sense philosophy, taught that all human beings, Christian or otherwise, could be virtuous, but he was nonetheless committed to Christianity as the only route to personal salvation. The colonies' most respected doctors, educators, and clergymen were numbered among their ranks. [3], Over 12,000 prisoners died in the prison ships and prisons in New York compared to 4,435 soldiers that died in combat over the six years of war. 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. Charles A. Goodrich, 1856The Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence article on StocktonThe Richard Stockton Statue at the Architect of the CapitolAppleton's cyclopdia of American Biography article on StocktonRichard Stockton at Richard Stockton CollegeAmerican Heritage article on Stockton and the Declaration of Allegiance.Richard Stockton at Find a Grave. The Institute was founded in 2003 by Princeton University professor and conservative Robert P. George, Luis Tellez, and others involved with the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions. With the passage of the Stamp Act, such arguments were overcome by colonial backlash. According to Herbert Hovenkamp, Witherspoon's most lasting contribution was the initiation of the Scottish common sense realism, which he had learned by reading Thomas Reid and two of his expounders Dugald Stewart and James Beattie.[26]. He brought many of the better elements of the Scottish Enlightenment to Princeton and was interested in science as well as in government, moral philosophy, religion, and other subjects; notes of his lectures, which stressed the moral sense, were widely distributed in early America. They were pleased to take up the matter with that zeal which the nature of it required and determined to take every step that they might in this endeavor to more effectually and speedily execute the business. On July 2, 1776, the day of the vote on independence, another delegate claimed that America wasn't yet ripe enough for independence. Stockton's oldest son Richard was an eminent lawyer and later a Senator from New Jersey. The two remaining sons were bred to professions, and arose to distinction. Arms, as a last resort, must decide the contest.". Whatever their status that August, the 56 men who eventually signed the Declaration of Independence were under no illusions. Richard and Hannah were brother and sister, making Richard Stockton's (born 1730) parents 1st cousins.[12]. Richard Stocktons home Morven became the New Jersey Governors Mansion from 1954-1981. He signed the Declaration of Independence, and was a leader in Pennsylvania's ratification of the Constitution in 1788. This page was last edited on 8 January 2023, at 19:20. They had ten children, with five surviving to adulthood. War Timeline | In regard to civil magistrates, Witherspoon thus believed moral judgment should be pursued as a science. As the college's primary occupation at the time was training ministers, Witherspoon became a major leader of the early Presbyterian Church in America. Illinois University LibrariesCorner, George W., The Autobiography of Benjamin Rush. Dr. Samuel S. Smith, who succeeded Dr. W. as president of the college j and Frances, the second tiaughter, married Dr. David New England was unanimously for independence. Doctor Samuel Smith, vice president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University)and son-in-law of Rev. Annis Boudinot Stockton died February 6, 1801, surviving her beloved Richard by nearly twenty years. Witherspoon had declined the appointment as president of the college because his wife was reluctant to emigrate. Wrong username or password. . He said that the task should fall to his rival Jefferson on three counts: "Reason first, you are a Virginian, and Virginia ought to appear at the head of this business. Heyward defied the guards by writing new words to "God Save the King" and teaching the other prisoners to sing, "God Save the States" to the old tune. 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. Witherspoon cast his affirmative vote for independence on July 2, 1776. In the months before and after the Declaration of Independence, several states were working on their own constitutions, including New York. Stocktons home Morven had been occupied by British General Cornwallis. All his cattle, horses, hogs, sheep, grain and forage have been carried away by them. Moses Coit Tyler "President Witherspoon in the American Revolution" The American Historical Review Volume 1, Issue 1, July 1896. pp. He can have no right either to take away life, or to make it insupportable by excessive labor. Stockton acquired his personal coat of arms and motto: Omnia Deo Pendent all depends on God. In 1768, he left Scotland to travel to New Jersey, to accept a position as President of the College of New Jersey (now known as Princeton University). She was a close friend and favorite correspondent of General George Washington. Witherspoon and his wife, Elizabeth Montgomery, had a total of 10 children, only five of whom survived to accompany their parents to America. Behind that fleet were all the wealth and power of the British Empire. In November 1777, as British forces neared, Witherspoon closed and evacuated the College of New Jersey. The College of New Jersey needed a first rate scholar to serve as its first president. Constitutional Convention of 1787, including Virginias James Madison, as well as scores of individuals who served as judges and justices, members of Congress, and members of state ratifying conventions. Stockton and his wife had six children, four daughters and two sons: Julia Stockton (married to Benjamin Rush, also a signer of the Declaration), Mary, Susan, Richard, Lucius and Abigail. An urgent message from his colleague, Thomas McKean, now demanded his presence in Philadelphia "at the earliest possible moment." At the age of four, he could read the Bible. They had eleven children. He attended the West Nottingham Academy under Dr. Samuel Finley, and then earned his degree at the College of New Jersey (Now Princeton) in 1748. It had been a long and muddy ride from Princeton, they had been caught in a violent thunderstorm, and their clothes were soaking wet. Between 1776 and 1782, Witherspoon would serve on more than 100 committees, wearing his minister's robes in Congress to remind the delegates that God was on their side. Upon his arrival at then College of New Jersey, Witherspoon found the school in debt, with weak instruction and an outdated library. He was attacked one night in Edinburgh by a desperate robber and defended himself skillfully with a small sword. They were sent with instructions to vote for Independence. He served on over 100 committees, most notably the sitting committees, the board of peace and the committee on public correspondence or common affairs. Unanimity was essential, so Edward Rutledge of South Carolina moved that a final vote be postponed until the following day. 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