Recommended

This Week in Christian History: Jonathan Edwards Elected President of Princeton, National Cathedral Construction

Jonathan Edwards Elected President of Princeton - September 29, 1757

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), notable American preacher of the 'First Great Awakening.'
Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), notable American preacher of the "First Great Awakening." | (Photo: Public Domain)

This week marks the anniversary of when famed Protestant preacher Jonathan Edwards was elected the third president of the College of New Jersey, later renamed Princeton University.

Princeton's trustees elected Edwards five days after the death of his son-in-law, Aaron Burr, Sr., who had served as the second president of the academic institution.

Get Our Latest News for FREE

Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.

While Edwards was a supporter of Princeton, he was initially hesitant to accept the position, explaining in a letter dated Oct. 19, 1757 that he felt "my own defects" disqualified him from "such a new and great business, attended with such a multiplicity of cares, and requiring such a degree of activity, alertness and spirit of government ...."

Nevertheless, Edwards eventually accepted the position and was officially installed as president the following year, but served a brief term before dying from a fever on March 22, 1758.

Follow Michael Gryboski on Twitter or Facebook

Was this article helpful?

Help keep The Christian Post free for everyone.

By making a recurring donation or a one-time donation of any amount, you're helping to keep CP's articles free and accessible for everyone.

We’re sorry to hear that.

Hope you’ll give us another try and check out some other articles. Return to homepage.

Most Popular

More Articles