Famous Faces in Princeton Places

The Historical Society of Princeton opened the exhibition U.S. Presidents: Famous Faces in Princeton Places on November 1, 2005. The Princeton community and campus have had the great fortune of receiving visits from half of all United States presidents. The exhibition documented the relationship that these U.S. presidents have had with the Princeton community.

Beginning with George Washington in the early days of the Republic to William Clinton's visit in 2000, U.S. presidents have been drawn to Princeton for varying reasons. Some came to participate in events in town, such as the Continental Congress meeting in Nassau Hall in 1783 or the dedication of the Princeton Battle Monument. Others visited to celebrate significant milestones in the history of Princeton University, notably the Sesquicentennial in 1896, the Bicentennial in 1947, and the 250th anniversary in 1996. Nineteen U.S. presidents have received honorary degrees from the university, and two presidents, James Madison and Woodrow Wilson, graduated from Princeton. John F. Kennedy briefly attended Princeton.

Two U.S. presidents and their families called Princeton their home during some point in their lives. Grover Cleveland, at the conclusion of his second term in 1897, retired to Princeton and lived out his remaining days at his home, Westland. Here he raised his young family and participated in university affairs as a trustee. As a young professor at the university, Woodrow Wilson lived on Library Place. When he became president of Princeton, Wilson moved to Prospect House on campus, and during his tenure as governor of New Jersey, he resided on Cleveland Lane.

Photographs, documents, and objects illustrated what drew the presidents to Princeton. Visitors will a diary entry about Princeton by John Adams, saw a photograph of Theodore Roosevelt at the Army-Navy football game in 1905 and view the Cleveland family dollhouse. The exhibition drew on resources from the Historical Society, the Princeton University Archives, the Grover Cleveland Birthplace in Caldwell, New Jersey, and private collections.

The Historical Society was grateful to the J. Seward Johnson, Sr., 1963 Charitable Trust, lead sponsor for the exhibition and Princeton Financial Systems-State Street New Jersey. The Historical Society receives an operating support grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State. Related programming included a gallery talk by exhibition curator Kristen Turner, Saturday, December 10, 2005. The exhibition closed September 3, 2006.