Jonathan Dickinson (April 22, 1688 – October 7, 1747) was a

Congregational Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

, later

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their n ...

, minister, a leader in the

Great Awakening Great Awakening refers to a number of periods of religious revival in American Christian history. Historians and theologians identify three, or sometimes four, waves of increased religious enthusiasm between the early 18th century and the lat ...

of the 1730s and 1740s, and a co-founder and first president of the College of New Jersey, which later became

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

Biography

Born in Hatfield,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

on April 22, 1688, Dickinson studied theology at the Collegiate School of Connecticut, later known as

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

, graduating in 1706. In 1709, Dickinson was ordained minister of the Congregational church in Elizabethtown,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...

. Dickinson became concerned about the attempts of the established

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Brit ...

to suppress

dissenter A dissenter (from the Latin ''dissentire'', "to disagree") is one who dissents (disagrees) in matters of opinion, belief, etc. Usage in Christianity Dissent from the Anglican church In the social and religious history of England and Wales, ...

s in

. Seeing a need for more coordination among dissenting churches, in 1717 Dickinson persuaded his congregation to join the

Presbytery of Philadelphia The Presbytery of Philadelphia, known during its early years simply as the Presbytery or the General Presbytery, is a presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). It was the first organized presbytery in what was to become the United States. H ...

. He became an active and influential participant in the affairs of the Presbyterians, and was twice elected moderator of the Synod of Philadelphia. As a former Congregationalist, Dickinson was part of the ''

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

'' faction of Presbyterians who opposed the strict doctrinal requirements favored by the '' Scots-Irish'' faction. Dickinson was a strong supporter of Presbyterianism, earning a reputation as a leading defender of

Calvinism Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John C ...

in America. His book ''Familiar Letters to a Gentleman, upon a Variety of Seasonable and Important Subjects in Religion'' was reprinted a number of times in America and elsewhere. The Great Awakening that started in the 1730s profoundly changed religion in the American colonies. The Presbyterians were divided into "New Sides" and "Old Sides", supporters and opponents, respectively, of the great revival meetings and the fervent preaching that accompanied them. Dickinson was a moderate "New Sider", supporting the revivals while opposing their more violent excess. His pulpit oratory was centered on "temperance and harmony" and "devoid of antagonizing divisions, but which at the same time was appealing and innovative". In 1738, Dickinson joined with other "New Siders" to form the

Presbytery of New York The Presbytery of New York was a presbytery formed in 1717 as the Long Island Presbytery by the division of the Presbytery of Philadelphia The Presbytery of Philadelphia, known during its early years simply as the Presbytery or the General Presb ...

. When the

Presbytery of New Brunswick The Presbytery of New Brunswick is a presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (USA). In 1738 the Presbytery of East Jersey was merged with the Presbytery of Long Island and renamed the Presbytery of New York, and two days after that, the Presbyter ...

was expelled from the Synod of Philadelphia over its support for the more extreme "New Siders" in 1741, Dickinson and others tried to negotiate a reconciliation. In 1745 the Presbytery of New York withdrew from the Synod of Philadelphia and joined with the Presbytery of New Brunswick to form the

Synod of New York The Synod of New York was a Presbyterian synod formed in 1745 during the Old Side–New Side Controversy by the Presbytery of New Brunswick and the Presbytery of New York The Presbytery of New York was a presbytery formed in 1717 as the Long Isl ...

. Dickinson was elected the first moderator of the new synod. In general, Dickinson "longed for an experimental and vital religion but not at the expense of social and religious order".

Founding of Princeton University

Dickinson had long been interested in starting a new college to serve the middle colonies. When he saw that the existing colleges in New England were hostile to the "New Siders", he returned to the project of establishing a college. Dickinson and three other pastors (Ebenezer Pemberton of the Old South Church, grandfather of

Ebenezer Pemberton Ebenezer Pemberton (1746 – June 25, 1835) was an American educator and 2nd Principal of Phillips Academy Andover from 1786 to 1793. Refusing to follow his uncle's wishes to become a clergyman, Pemberton pursued a teaching career that would b ...

(1746-1835),

Aaron Burr, Sr. Aaron Burr Sr. (January 4, 1716 – September 24, 1757) was a notable Presbyterian minister and college educator in colonial America. He was a founder of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) and the father of Aaron Burr ( ...

, and John Pierson) enlisted the support of three laymen (William Smith,

Peter Van Brugh Livingston Peter Van Brugh Livingston (bp. November 3, 1710 Albany, New York – December 28, 1792 Elizabethtown, Union County, New Jersey) was a Patriot during the American Revolution who was a wealthy merchant and who served as the 1st New York State Tre ...

, and William Peartree Smith). Led by Dickinson, this group of seven applied to Governor Lewis Morris for a charter. However, the governor rejected their application because he was an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...

who opposed the Great Awakening. Following the death of Morris, they re-applied to Acting Governor John Hamilton, who granted a

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the re ...

on October 22, 1746. The first trustees, including five

Log College The Log College, founded in 1727, was the first theological seminary serving Presbyterians in North America, and was located in what is now Warminster, Pennsylvania. It was founded by William Tennent and operated from 1727 until Tennent's death ...

adherents enlisted by Dickinson and Pemberton, announced Dickinson's appointment as the first

President of Princeton University Princeton University, founded in 1746 as the College of New Jersey, is a private Ivy League research university located in Princeton, New Jersey. The university is led by a president, who is selected by the board of trustees by ballot. The pres ...

in April 1747. Classes began the fourth week in May in the

parsonage A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically ow ...

of Dickinson's church in Elizabethtown, with a student body of eight or ten members. Less than five months later, on October 7, 1747, Jonathan Dickinson died suddenly, due to complications related to

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

References

External links

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia article on Jonathan DickinsonJonathan Dickinson and the Subscription Controversy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickinson, Jonathan 1688 births 1747 deaths People from Hatfield, Massachusetts People of colonial Massachusetts 18th-century Congregationalist ministers American Congregationalist ministers American Presbyterian ministers 18th-century Presbyterian ministers University and college founders Presidents of Princeton University People of colonial New Jersey Yale College alumni Deaths from smallpox Infectious disease deaths in New Jersey 18th-century American clergy