Elias Boudinot

Descendant of French Huguenots, Elias Boudinot received a classical education. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1760. He was a member of the board of trustees of Princeton College in 1772-1821. During the Revolutionary War Boudinot was a member of the committee of safety of New Jersey (1775) and comwas a member of the Continental Congress in 1778, 1781-1783. On 4 Nov 1782, Boudinot was elected president of the Congress. Boudinot's presidency was highlighted by the work on signing a peace treaty with Great Britain. A preliminary agreement was concluded in Paris on 30 Nov 1782, but it took almost a year to finalize the Treaty of Paris, which was signed on 3 Sep 1783. During this period, the Congress declared an end to the Revolutionary War (11 Apr 1783), and disbanded the Continental Army. Facing protests from angry and unpaid war veterans, Congress left Philadelphia and relocated to Princeton, New Jersey, on 24 Jun 1783. After his term as a Congress member expired, Boudinot resumed the practice of law. He was elected to the U.S. Congress and served from 4 Mar 1789 to 3 Mar 1795. Later he held the office of director of the Mint (Oct 1795 - Jul 1805). In 1816 he was elected first president of the American Bible Society. [1] [2]