Only one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence was both an active clergyman and an active college president. Who was he?

A.

John Hancock

B.

John Witherspoon

C.

John Jay

D.

James Madison

The answer is: B. John Witherspoon

He was both a signer of the Declaration of Independence and president of a college.

The right answer is B. John Witherspoon. He was born in Scotland in 1723, became a Presbyterian minister in 1745 and emigrated to New Jersey in 1768 with his family, accepting an invitation from Benjamin Rush and Richard Stockton. Once he arrived, he became sixth president and head professor of the Presbyterian College of New Jersey (later known as Princeton University). At the moment of Declaration of Independence, on July 4, 1776, John Witherspoon was a delegate from New Jersey and the only active clergyman and the only active college president signatory of the Declaration.