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Founding of the College of New Jersey

When
1746–1747
Where
New Jersey; Elizabeth, New Jersey; Newark, New Jersey
Episodes
3

The College of New Jersey was chartered on October 22, 1746, by acting governor John Hamilton. Founded by Presbyterians to serve a gap in higher education, it opened in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1747 under Jonathan Dickinson.

Episodes

  1. October 22, 1746 · New JerseyCharter Granting

    Acting governor John Hamilton granted the charter for the College of New Jersey on October 22, 1746, following an initial rejection by Lewis Morrison.

  2. 1747 · Elizabeth, New JerseyOpening in Elizabeth

    In 1747, the college opened in Elizabeth, New Jersey, with Jonathan Dickinson elected as president and classes held in his parsonage.

  3. 1747 · Newark, New JerseyMove to Newark

    Following the death of Jonathan Dickinson in 1747, the college moved to Newark, New Jersey, to the parsonage of his successor Aaron Burr Sr.

Background and detail

Founding Context. Presbyterian founders selected New Jersey for a new college because no institution existed between Yale and William & Mary. The group included ministers who preached in the region, aiming to establish an educational center for Scotch-Irish Presbyterians.

Charter Grant. After an initial rejection by Anglican governor Lewis Morrison, acting governor John Hamilton granted the charter on October 22, 1746. This established the College of New Jersey as the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States.

Early Operations. In 1747, trustees elected Jonathan Dickinson as president and opened classes in Elizabeth, New Jersey, held in his parsonage. Following Dickinson's death that year, the college moved to Newark, New Jersey, where his successor Aaron Burr Sr. served.

People involved

Sources

  1. Princeton University Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-23

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.