5 facts about John Witherspoon, a slaveholder and the only university president to sign the Declaration of Independence

A statue of John Witherspoon overlooks a common area at Princeton University. Oliver Morris via Getty Images

Since 2001, a bronze statue of the Rev. John Witherspoon has loomed over a busy pedestrian plaza at Princeton University, where he served as president from 1768 to 1794. During his tenure at Princeton, Witherspoon made history by signing the Declaration of Independence. He was the only university president to do so.

But even as Witherspoon preached and argued that American Colonists should separate from British monarchy – or else become its slaves – Witherspoon was enslaving people himself.