A Few Interesting Facts About Presbyterians
- King George called the American Revolution "the Presbyterian Revolution" because so many Presbyterian ministers were influential in starting and supplying American independence. At least eleven of the fifty-six signers of the Declaration of Independence were Presbyterians.
- Woodrow Wilson, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Ronald Reagan are among ten Presbyterian presidents of our country. Abraham Lincoln, though he never joined any church, regularly attended the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington during his years as president.
- Presbyterians were active in the abolition of slavery and were at the forefront of the civil rights movement. As early as 1946, the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) adopted the concept of "non-segregated church in a non-segregated society."
- Famous Presbyterians include actors John Wayne and Jimmy Stuart, late-night talk show host David Letterman, author Mark Twain, and astronaut John Glenn. Fred Rogers, better known as "Mr. Rogers" was an ordained Presbyterian minister.
- Presbyterians value education very highly. There are over 80 Presbyterian-related colleges in the United States. Here in Texas are Austin College in Sherman, Trinity University in San Antonio, and Schreiner College in Kerrville. Our own church has the oldest continuously operating pre-school and kindergarten in Lamar County and it celebrated fifty years of service in September 2009.
