American Quotations by William J. Federer 2024

Charles Cotesworth Pinckney (February 25, 1746-August 16, 1825) was a signer of the United States Constitution. He was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and helped to write the Constitution of the State of South Carolina. A Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidate, he was a successful lawyer, planter, statesman, soldier, aide-de-camp to General Washington and Brigadier General. Pinckney turned down many offers from President Washington for positions within government, including several cabinet appointments and a place on the U.S. Supreme Court, though he finally accepted the position of U.S. Minister to France. He helped found the Charleston Bible Society and served as...

Princeton University (1746) was originally called "The College of New Jersey." It was founded in Princeton, New Jersey, by the Presbyterian Church. Many influential individuals served as it president, including: Jonathan Dickinson, Aaron Burr Sr., Jonathan Edwards, Samuel Davies, Samuel Finley and Woodrow Wilson, who was the first president not a clergyman. Its president just prior to the Revolutionary War was John Witherspoon, the only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence, 1776. Princeton University, under President John Witherspoon, 1768-94, graduated 478 students who directly shaped America, including: James Madison, who served eight years as Secretary of State and eight...

William Paterson (December 24, 1745-September 9, 1806) was a jurist, politician and a signer of the United States Constitution. He served as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice, 1793-1806, having been appointed by President George Washington. He was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, 1787; a U.S. Senator, 1789-90; Governor of New Jersey after Governor Livingston died, 1790-93; New Jersey State Attorney General, 1776; member of the State Constitutional Convention, 1776; and a member of the New Jersey Provincial Congress, 1775. The people of his state esteemed him so much that they named the city of Paterson, New Jersey, after him....

John Jay (December 12, 1745-May 17, 1829) was the first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, having been appointed by President George Washington. He was a member of the First and Second Continental Congresses and served as the President of the Continental Congress. He was very instrumental in causing the Constitution to be ratified, by writing the Federalist Papers, along with James Madison and Alexander Hamilton. In 1777, John Jay helped to write the Constitution of New York, and from 1795- 1801 held the position of Governor of the State of New York. On December 23, 1776, in an...

David Brearly (June 11, 1745-August 16, 1790) was a signer of the Constitution of the United States of America. He served as a Colonel in the Revolutionary Army, was appointed Federal Judge in New Jersey by President George Washington and served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey. David Brearly attended Princeton University, where he was under the instruction of the Reverend John Witherspoon, one of the nation's premier theologians and legal experts. He was admitted to the bar in 1767 and was so outspoken for the cause of liberty that he was arrested for "high treason"...