James McCosh

James McCosh (April 1, 1811 – November 16, 1894) was a Scottish philosopher of the Scottish Common Sense Realist school and Presbyterian minister who served as the eleventh president of Princeton University from 1868 to 1888. Born in Ayrshire, Scotland, he studied at the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh.

McCosh was an influential figure in American higher education, modernizing Princeton's curriculum, expanding its campus, and significantly increasing its endowment. He championed a blend of Christian faith and scientific inquiry, believing that reason and revelation were complementary paths to truth. He opposed both extreme forms of Calvinism and the rising tide of materialism in academia.

Prior to his presidency at Princeton, McCosh served as professor of logic and metaphysics at Queen's College, Belfast (now Queen's University Belfast). He was a prolific writer, publishing numerous books on philosophy, religion, and education, including "The Method of Divine Government, Physical and Moral" (1850), "The Intuitions of the Mind" (1860), and "First and Fundamental Truths" (1889). His writings reflected his commitment to Common Sense Realism, emphasizing the reliability of human perception and reasoning.

During his tenure at Princeton, McCosh transformed the institution from a small, religiously-focused college into a modern university with a broader curriculum encompassing the natural sciences and social sciences. He recruited talented faculty, including Woodrow Wilson, who later became president of the United States. McCosh's leadership significantly enhanced Princeton's reputation and laid the foundation for its future growth and prominence. He retired from the presidency in 1888 and died in Princeton in 1894. McCosh Hall, a prominent building on the Princeton University campus, is named in his honor.