Jacob Green (pastor)

Jacob Green (February 2, 1722 – May 24, 1790) was a Presbyterian pastor and acting president of Princeton University. A resident of Hanover, Green was also the delegate for Morris County to the fourth assembly of the Provincial Congress of New Jersey in 1776 and served as chairman of the constitutional committee.^[1][2]

Born in Malden, Massachusetts, Green grew up in a Calvinist community and family. He attended Harvard College after an unsuccessful attempt at vocational training, graduating in 1740. His time in college significantly influenced his religious beliefs and was reborn while there. Following his graduation, he was to take a position at Bethesda Academy with George Whitefield, but when that fell through, he was persuaded to become a Presbyterian minister. He became a pastor for Hanover Presbyterian Church, a position he would serve for 44 years. Due to a poor salary, he would undertake various other jobs through his life, with his career as a physician lasting for over 30 years. He was a founding trustee of Princeton and served as acting president for a consecutive eight months.

Green would marry twice and have a combined 10 kids. He was the father of Ashbel Green, eighth president of Princeton University.^[3] Green died in 1790 from influenza and was buried in Hanover Presbyterian Church Cemetery.