American Bible Society

Elias Boudinot Jr. (1740–1821) was an early American lawyer and statesman from Elizabeth, New Jersey. As an energetic patriot, he was elected as a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1777 to 1784, serving as its president from 1782 until 1783. He then served three terms in Congress, followed by the appointment to be the Director of the Mint for ten years. Boudinot supported many civic and educational causes during his life, including serving as one of Princeton’s trustees for nearly half a century.

Boudinot was elected president of the American Bible Society at its founding in 1816 and served until his death in 1821. In his letter accepting the office of president, he stated that this was “the greatest honor” that could have been conferred upon him “on this side of the grave.” He had an unwavering faith that God had called the men of the society to the work of making Bibles available in America. His ten thousand dollar gift, at a time when an annual salary of $400 was considered good, essentially enabled the formation and early organization of the American Bible Society, which still sponsors the work of Bible translation and distribution around the world.

Taken from The American Patriot’s Bible