- March 6, 1809, 217 years ago — Death of Thomas Heyward Jr..
- March 6, 1724, 302 years ago — Birth of Henry Laurens, President of the Continental Congress.
- March 7, 1707, 319 years ago — Birth of Stephen Hopkins, signer of the Declaration of Independence.
- March 7, 1699, 327 years ago — Birth of Susanna Boylston Adams, mother of John Adams.
John Witherspoon
John Witherspoon was born in Scotland, February 5, 1722. He was educated at the University of Edinburgh, and became a distinguished minister of the Presbyterian Church. In 1768 he was invited to become president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), and accepted the call, arriving in America the same year.
He soon became prominent in the cause of American liberty, and was elected a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1776. He was present at the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, and affixed his signature to that instrument.
He continued in Congress until 1782, and was active in many important committees. After the war, he resumed his duties at Princeton, where he continued to labor in the cause of education and religion. He was a man of profound learning, great piety, and unshaken patriotism.
He died near Princeton, November 15, 1794, in the seventy-third year of his age.
Source:
Lossing, Benson J. The Lives of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. New York: A.S. Barnes & Co., 1855. Patriot Echoes Archive
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