Which American Revolutionary leader and signer of the Declaration of Independence was president of the college that became Princeton University?

• A. George Washington
• B. John Witherspoon
• C. James Madison
• D. Alexander Hamilton

Answer: (B)

This question tests knowing which Revolutionary figure both signed the Declaration of Independence and led the college that later became Princeton University. John Witherspoon was a Presbyterian minister and educator who became president of the College of New Jersey in 1768 and signed the Declaration in 1776. He guided the college through the revolutionary era, and the institution he led eventually evolved into Princeton University. The other figures were influential in the era, but none served as president of the College of New Jersey. George Washington did not sign the Declaration, while James Madison and Alexander Hamilton did sign, but they did not head the college that became Princeton.