Elias
Boudinot Jr. of Elizabeth, New Jersey, was elected as a delegate to
the Continental Congress from 1777 to 1784. Furthermore, he served as
president from 1782 to 1783. This illustrious American statesmen and
lawyer served three terms in Congress and ten years as the Director
of the Mint. Throughout his life, he supported several civic and
educational causes. Elias Boudinot was a trustee of Princeton
University for nearly half a century.
He
became the president of the American Bible Society when it was
founded in 1816. Upon accepting this office, he considered the
position as “the greatest honor” which had been bestowed upon him
“this side of the grave.”
He
was a man of unwavering faith in God who called upon men to the work
of making the Bible readily accessible to Americans. An annual salary
of $400 was considered a good income. He generously gave a monetary
gift of $10,000 to enable the formation and organization of the
American Bible Society.
“'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself' - Let it then (as workmanship of the same Divine hand) be our peculiar constant care and vigilant attention to inculcate this sacred principle, and to hand it down to posterity...Good government generally begins in the family, and if the moral character of a people once degenerate, their political character must soon follow.”
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