List of moderators of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America

The office of moderator of the General Assembly was the highest elected position in the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA). The moderator was responsible for presiding over the meeting of the General Assembly, which was held annually between 1789 and 1956. After the meeting, which lasted for about a week, the moderator served as an ambassador of the denomination throughout the remainder of the term. After completing the term, most former moderators took on the role of a church statesman.

Prior to the Old School–New School controversy The chart below shows the moderators and place of meetings from 1789 when the PCUSA was formed, until 1837, after which the denomination was divided into two factions by the Old School–New School Controversy until 1869.Proceedings of the 218th (2008) General Assembly, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), p. 1484 Number and year Place of meeting Moderator Online minutesConvened the 1st GA, 1789Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Rev. John WitherspoonMinutes of the 1789 General Assembly1st GA, 1789Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Rev. John RodgersMinutes of the 1789 General Assembly2nd GA, 1790Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. Robert SmithMinutes of the 1790 General Assembly3rd GA, 1791Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. John WoodhullMinutes of the 1791 General Assembly4th GA, 1792Carlisle, PennsylvaniaRev. John KingMinutes of the 1792 General Assembly5th GA, 1793Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. James LattaMinutes of the 1793 General Assembly6th GA, 1794Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. Alexander McWhorterMinutes of the 1794 General Assembly7th GA, 1795Carlisle, PennsylvaniaRev. John McKnightMinutes of the 1795 General Assembly8th GA, 1796Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. Robert DavidsonMinutes of the 1796 General Assembly9th GA, 1797Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. William Mackay TennentMinutes of the 1797 General Assembly10th GA, 1798Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. John Blair SmithMinutes of the 1798 General Assembly11th GA, 1799Winchester, VirginiaRev. Samuel Stanhope SmithMinutes of the 1799 General Assembly12th GA, 1800Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Rev. Joseph ClarkMinutes of the 1800 General Assembly13th GA, 1801Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. Nathaniel IrwinMinutes of the 1801 General Assembly14th GA, 1802Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. Azel RoeMinutes of the 1802 General Assembly15th GA, 1803Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. James HallMinutes of the 1803 General Assembly16th GA, 1804Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. James Francis ArmstrongMinutes of the 1804 General Assembly17th GA, 1805Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. James RichardsMinutes of the 1805 General Assembly18th GA, 1806Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. Samuel MillerMinutes of the 1806 General Assembly19th GA, 1807Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. Archibald AlexanderMinutes of the 1807 General Assembly20th GA, 1808Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. Philip MilledolerMinutes of the 1808 General Assembly21st GA, 1809Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. Drury LacyMinutes of the 1809 General Assembly22nd GA, 1810Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. John Brodhead RomeynMinutes of the 1810 General Assembly23rd GA, 1811Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. Eliphalet NottMinutes of the 1811 General Assembly24th GA, 1812Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. Andrew FlinnMinutes of the 1812 General Assembly25th GA, 1813Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. Samuel BlatchfordMinutes of the 1813 General Assembly26th GA, 1814Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. James InglisMinutes of the 1814 General Assembly27th GA, 1815Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. William NeillMinutes of the 1815 General Assembly28th GA, 1816Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. James BlytheMinutes of the 1816 General Assembly29th GA, 1817Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. Jonas CoeMinutes of the 1817 General Assembly30th GA, 1818Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. Jacob Jones JanewayMinutes of the 1818 General Assembly31st GA, 1819Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. John Holt RiceMinutes of the 1819 General Assembly32nd GA, 1820Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. John McDowellMinutes of the 1820 General Assembly33rd GA, 1821Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. William HillMinutes of the 1821 General Assembly34th GA, 1822Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. Obadiah JenningsMinutes of the 1822 General Assembly35th GA, 1823Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. John ChesterMinutes of the 1823 General Assembly36th GA, 1824Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. Ashbel GreenMinutes of the 1824 General Assembly37th GA, 1825Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. Stephen N. RowanMinutes of the 1825 General Assembly38th GA, 1826Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. Thomas McAuleyMinutes of the 1826 General Assembly39th GA, 1827Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. Francis HerronMinutes of the 1827 General Assembly40th GA, 1828Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. Ezra Stiles ElyMinutes of the 1828 General Assembly41st GA, 1829Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. Benjamin Holt RiceMinutes of the 1829 General Assembly42nd GA, 1830Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. Ezra FiskMinutes of the 1830 General Assembly43rd GA, 1831Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. Nathan S.S. BemanMinutes of the 1831 General Assembly44th GA, 1832Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. James HogeMinutes of the 1832 General Assembly45th GA, 1833Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. William Anderson McDowellMinutes of the 1833 General Assembly46th GA, 1834Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. Philip LindsleyMinutes of the 1834 General Assembly47th GA, 1835Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaRev. William Wirt PhillipsMinutes of the 1835 General Assembly48th GA, 1836Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaRev. John WitherspoonMinutes of the 1836 General Assembly49th GA, 1837Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. David ElliottMinutes of the 1837 General Assembly

Old School The chart below shows the moderators, and the place of meetings, of the Old School branch from 1838 until 1869, after which the two branches reunited into one denomination.

Number and year Place of meeting Moderator Online minutes50th GA, 1838Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaRev. William Swan PlumerMinutes of the 1838 General Assembly51st GA, 1839Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Rev. Joshua Lacy WilsonMinutes of the 1839 General Assembly52nd GA, 1840Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Rev. William Morrison EnglesMinutes of the 1840 General Assembly53rd GA, 1841Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Rev. Robert Jefferson BreckinridgeMinutes of the 1841 General Assembly54th GA, 1842Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Rev. John Todd EdgarMinutes of the 1842 General Assembly55th GA, 1843Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Rev. Gardiner SpringMinutes of the 1843 General Assembly56th GA, 1844Louisville, Kentucky Rev. George JunkinMinutes of the 1844 General Assembly57th GA, 1845Cincinnati, Ohio Rev. John Michael KrebsMinutes of the 1845 General Assembly58th GA, 1846Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Rev. Charles HodgeMinutes of the 1846 General Assembly59th GA, 1847Richmond, Virginia Rev. James Henley ThornwellMinutes of the 1847 General Assembly60th GA, 1848Baltimore, Maryland Rev. Alexander T. McGillMinutes not available online61st GA, 1849Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Rev. Nicholas MurrayMinutes not available online62nd GA, 1850Cincinnati, Ohio Rev. Aaron W. LelandMinutes of the 1850 General Assembly63rd GA, 1851St. Louis, Missouri Rev. Edward P. HumphreyMinutes of the 1851 General Assembly64th GA, 1852Charleston, South Carolina Rev. John Chase LordMinutes of the 1852 General Assembly65th GA, 1853Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Rev. John Clarke YoungMinutes of the 1853 General Assembly66th GA, 1854Buffalo, New York Rev. Henry Augustus BoardmanMinutes of the 1854 General Assembly67th GA, 1855Nashville, Tennessee Rev. Nathan Lewis RiceMinutes of the 1855 General Assembly68th GA, 1856New York, New York Rev. Francis McFarlandMinutes of the 1856 General Assembly69th GA, 1857Lexington, Kentucky Rev. Cortlandt Van RensselaerMinutes of the 1857 General Assembly70th GA, 1858New Orleans, Louisiana Rev. William Anderson ScottMinutes of the 1858 General Assembly71st GA, 1859Indianapolis, Indiana Rev. William L. BreckinridgeMinutes of the 1859 General Assembly72nd GA, 1860Rochester, New York Rev. John William YeomansMinutes of the 1860 General Assembly73rd GA, 1861Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Rev. John Chester BackusMinutes of the 1861 General Assembly74th GA, 1862Columbus, Ohio Rev. Charles Clinton BeattyMinutes of the 1862 General Assembly75th GA, 1863Peoria, Illinois Rev. John Hunter MorrisonMinutes of the 1863 General Assembly76th GA, 1864Newark, New Jersey Rev.James WoodMinutes of the 1864 General Assembly77th GA, 1865Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Rev. John Cameron LowrieMinutes of the 1865 General Assembly78th GA, 1866St. Louis, Missouri Rev. Robert L. StantonMinutes of the 1866 General Assembly79th GA, 1867Cincinnati, Ohio Rev. Phineas Densmore GurleyMinutes of the 1867 General Assembly80th GA, 1868Albany, New York Rev. George W. MusgraveMinutes of the 1868 General Assembly81st GA, 1869New York, New York Rev. M. W. JocobusMinutes of the 1869 General Assembly

New School The chart below shows the moderators, and the place of meetings, of the New School branch from 1838 until 1869, after which the two branches reunited into one denomination. Number and year Place of meeting Moderator Online minutes50th GA, 1838Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Rev. Samuel FisherMinutes of the 1838 General Assembly51st GA, 1839Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Rev. Baxter DickinsonMinutes of the 1839 General Assembly52nd GA, 1840Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Rev. William WisnerMinutes of the 1840 General Assembly53rd GA, 1843Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Rev. Ansel Doan EddyMinutes of the 1843 General Assembly54th GA, 1846Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Rev. Samuel Hanson CoxMinutes of the 1846 General Assembly55th GA, 1847Cincinnati, Ohio Rev. Samuel Hanson CoxMinutes of the 1847 General Assembly56th GA, 1849Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Rev. Philip Courtlandt HayMinutes of the 1849 General Assembly57th GA, 1850Detroit, Michigan Rev. David H. RiddleMinutes of the 1850 General Assembly58th GA, 1851Utica, New York Rev. Albert BarnesMinutes of the 1851 General Assembly59th GA, 1852Washington, D.C. Rev. William AdamsMinutes of the 1852 General Assembly60th GA, 1853Buffalo, New York Rev. Diarca Howe AllenMinutes of the 1853 General Assembly61st GA, 1854Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Rev. Thomas H. SkinnerMinutes of the 1854 General Assembly62nd GA, 1855St. Louis, Missouri Rev. William Carpenter WisnerMinutes of the 1855 General Assembly63rd GA, 1856New York, New York Rev. Laurens Perseus HickokMinutes of the 1856 General Assembly64th GA, 1857Cleveland, Ohio Rev. Samuel W. FisherMinutes of the 1857 General Assembly65th GA, 1858Chicago, Illinois Rev. Matthew L. P. ThompsonMinutes of the 1858 General Assembly66th GA, 1859Wilmington, Delaware Rev. Robert Wilson PattersonMinutes of the 1859 General Assembly67th GA, 1860Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Rev. Thornton Anthony MillsMinutes of the 1860 General Assembly68th GA, 1861Syracuse, New York Rev. Jonathan Bailey ConditMinutes of the 1861 General Assembly69th GA, 1862Cincinnati, Ohio Rev. George Duffield Minutes of the 1862 General Assembly70th GA, 1863Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Rev. Henry B. SmithMinutes of the 1863 General Assembly71st GA, 1864Dayton, Ohio Rev. Thomas BrainerdMinutes of the 1864 General Assembly72nd GA, 1865Brooklyn, New York Rev. James Boylan ShawMinutes of the 1865 General Assembly73rd GA, 1866St. Louis, Missouri Rev. Samuel Miles HopkinsMinutes of the 1866 General Assembly74th GA, 1867Rochester, New York Rev. Henry Addison NelsonMinutes of the 1867 General Assembly75th GA, 1868Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Rev. Jonathan French StearnsMinutes of the 1868 General Assembly76th GA, 1869New York, New York Rev. Philemon Halsted FowlerMinutes of the 1869 General Assembly

Reunited Old and New Schools The chart below shows the moderators, and the place of meetings 1870 when the Old and New Schools had reunited until 1958 when the PCUSA merged with the United Presbyterian Church of North America (UPCNA) to form the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America.