The institution's first president was Jonathan Dickinson in 1747,[6] and its 20th and current is Christopher Eisgruber, who was elected in 2013.[7][a] All of Princeton's presidents have been male besides Shirley Tilghman;[9] all have been white.[10]James Carnahan had the longest serving tenure at 31 years, and Jonathan Edwards had the shortest at five weeks.[6] There have been six acting presidents,[11] and eleven presidents who have been alumni of the university.[10] Princeton presidents have a long association with the Presbyterian church,[12] with every president before Woodrow Wilson in 1902 being a Presbyterian clergyman.[13] The first nine presidents were slaveholders, with five holding slaves while living in the president's house.[11] Thirteen of Princeton's seventeen deceased presidents are buried in President Lot of Princeton Cemetery.[14] As of 2019[update], the salary of the president was $944,952.[15]
The president's official residence has changed several times over the lifespan of the university. Built in 1756, the John Maclean House, also known as the President's House, was where the president lived until Prospect House was acquired in 1878.[16] In 1968, the official residence switched again to Walter Lowrie House.[17] The Office of the President is housed in Nassau Hall.[18]
^Although 25 people have held the office, Princeton University does not consider acting presidents in its counting; as a result, in official releases by the university, Christopher Eisgruber is considered the 20th president.[8]
^Burr was formally elected president in November 1748; however, he had been in charge since Dickinson's death in October 1747.[20]
^Halsey, Leroy J. (1859). A Sketch of the Life and Educational Labors of Philip Lindsley, D.D., Late President of the University of Nashville. Hartford: Press of Williams, Wiley & Turner. pp. 7–8. OCLC39536433.
^The Chi Phi Fraternity, Centennial Memorial Volume: Commemorating the Centennial Anniversary of the Princeton Society of Chi Phi to which the Fraternity Owes Its Existence. Lancaster: Chi Phi. 1924. pp. 25–27. OCLC2140914.