Aaron Burr Sr.
President of Princeton University | |
|---|---|
| In office 1748–1757 | |
| Preceded by | Jonathan Dickinson |
| Succeeded by | Jonathan Edwards |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 4, 1716 Fairfield, Connecticut Colony |
| Died | September 24, 1757 (aged 41) Princeton, Province of New Jersey |
| Spouse | |
| Children |
|
| Parent(s) | Daniel and Elizabeth Burr |
Aaron Burr Sr. (January 4, 1716 – September 24, 1757) was a notable
Early years
A native of
Aaron Burr attended
Career
On December 21, 1736, Burr became a minister of the Presbyterian Church of Newark, Newark, New Jersey. He also taught Greek and Latin to youth, and co-authored Introduction to the Latin Tongue.[1] After a few years, Burr rose to prominence in the Presbyterian circles of upper New Jersey and the New York City area.
College founder
Between 1741 and 1758, a controversy over unorthodox piety fostered by the
Dickinson was elected first president of the College, but died soon after in 1747. Burr, who taught at the College, then became the second president on November 9, 1748 after approval of the college charter by the New Jersey governor, Jonathan Belcher. During his tenure (1748–1757), the curriculum was settled, the student body increased from 8 in 1747 to 40–50 in 1751, and the first commencement was held. Among the first graduates was Richard Stockton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence; five others became Presbyterian ministers.[4] Burr moved the College to its permanent home at Princeton, New Jersey, where he supervised the construction of Nassau Hall, Princeton's best-known structure and the largest building in colonial New Jersey when it was completed in 1756. In 1755, Burr was relieved of his pastoral duties in order to concentrate full-time on his work at Princeton. At age 32, he became the youngest person ever to serve as president of Princeton.[4]
In September 1756, when the French and Indian War was underway, Burr wrote a sermon in which he sought to defend the "Priviledges [sic] of unadulterated Christianity; British Liberty and Property, in a delightful and fruitful Country"[5] foretelling future fusion of secular and religious rhetoric in the Revolutionary era.[6]
Personal life
On June 29, 1752, Burr married
- Sarah "Sally" Burr (1754–1797), who married Tapping Reeve (1744–1823)
- Aaron Burr Jr. (1756–1836), who married Theodosia Bartow Prevost (1746–1794) in 1782. After her death in 1794, he married Eliza Jumel (1775–1865) in 1833.
Death
In the fall of 1757, Burr died in his first year in Princeton (tenth year of being the president) of fever after traveling to Massachusetts to Governor Belcher's funeral where he delivered a sermon. It was believed that his premature death had been brought on or aggravated by overwork. His remains were interred in the President's Lot at Princeton Cemetery. His widow died seven months later, orphaning their three-year-old daughter and two-year-old son.[7]
Descendants
His grandchildren include Aaron Burr Reeve (1780–1809),
Works
- Burr, Aaron. Sermon at the Ordination of David Bostwick. New York, 1745.
- Burr, Aaron. A Discourse Delivered at New-Ark in New Jersey, January 1, 1755. New York, 1755.
- Burr, Aaron. The Watchman's Answer to the Question, What of the Night, & C: A Sermon Preached Before the Synod of New York, Convened at Newark in New Jersey, September 30, 1756. Boston, 1757.
- Burr, Aaron. The Supreme Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, Maintained. Boston, 1757.
- Burr, Aaron. A Funeral Sermon, Preached at the Interment of Jonathan Belcher, Esg. New York, 1757.
References
- OCLC 55831666.
- OCLC 718119879.
- ^ Hart, D. G.; Muether, John R. (March 2005). "Turning Points in American Presbyterian History Part 3: Old Side versus New Side, 1741–1758". New Horizons. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Aaron Burr Sr". The Presidents of Princeton University. Princeton University. Archived from the original on 2010-11-25. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
- OCLC 977438608.
- ISBN 978-0-19-860669-7. Archivedfrom the original on 2021-10-06. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
- ISBN 978-0-670-06352-9.
- ^ "Reeve Family Papers, 1767–1866". www.fairfieldhistory.org. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
- ^ "Litchfield Ledger – Student". www.litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
- ^ Commire, Anne, ed. (2002). "Burr, Theodosia (1783–1813)". Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia (Vol. 3). Detroit: Yorkin Publications. pp. 232–33.
External links
- Photographic tour of Aaron Burr's grave at Princeton Cemetery.
- Biography of Burr Sr. at Princeton University Archived 2019-07-20 at the Wayback Machine
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