thumb|[[Nassau Hall houses the Office of the President.|alt=The back of Nassau Hall, with Cannon Green in the foreground |upright=1.1]]
Princeton University, founded in 1746 as the College of New Jersey, is a private Ivy League research university located in Princeton, New Jersey. The university is led by a president, who is selected by the board of trustees by ballot. The president is an ex officio member of the board and presides at its meetings. One of five officers of the university's legal corporation, the Trustees of Princeton University, the president also acts as the chief executive officer. All of Princeton's presidents have been male besides Shirley Tilghman; all have been white. Princeton presidents have a long association with the Presbyterian church, with every president before Woodrow Wilson in 1902 being a Presbyterian clergyman. The first nine presidents were slaveholders, with five holding slaves while living in the president's house. Thirteen of Princeton's seventeen deceased presidents are buried in President Lot of Princeton Cemetery. , the salary of the president was $944,952.
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. In 1968, the official residence switched again to Walter Lowrie House. The Office of the President is housed in Nassau Hall.
Presidents
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
! scope="row" |
! colspan="2" scope="col" |President
! scope="col" |Presidency
! scope="col" class="unsortable" |Notes
! scope="col" class="unsortable" |
|-
| align="center" | 1
| data-sort-value="Dickinson, Jonathan" |alt=Portrait of Jonathan Dickinson|frameless|upright=.6
! scope="row" | Jonathan Dickinson
| align="center" |1747
|Died shortly after entering office from a pleuritic illness
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | 2
| data-sort-value="Burr Sr., Aaron" |alt=Portrait of Aaron Burr Sr.|frameless|upright=.6
! scope="row" | Aaron Burr Sr.
| align="center" |1748–1757
|Minister of the Presbyterian Church of Newark. Father of Aaron Burr, the third Vice President of the United States. Died from illness while in office.
| align="center" |
|- bgcolor="#e6e6aa"
| align="center" | –
| data-sort-value="Cowell, David" |alt=Seal of Princeton University|frameless|upright=.6
! scope="row" | David Cowell
| align="center" | 1757–1758
| Served as acting president.
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | 3
| data-sort-value="Edwards, Jonathan" |alt=Portrait of Jonathan Edwards|frameless|upright=.6
! scope="row" | Jonathan Edwards
| align="center" |1758
|Eminent theologian to the First Great Awakening. Died five weeks into office after a fever from a smallpox vaccine.
| align="center" |
|- bgcolor="#e6e6aa"
| align="center" | –
| data-sort-value="Green, Jacob" |alt=Seal of Princeton University|frameless|upright=.6
! scope="row" | Jacob Green
| align="center" |1758–1759
|Delegate for Morris County to the Provincial Congress of New Jersey. Father of Ashbel Green, 8th president of the university. Minister of the Cold Spring Presbyterian Church. Graduate of the Log College. Died while in office in Philadelphia seeking medical treatment.
| align="center" |
|- bgcolor="#e6e6aa"
| align="center" | –
| data-sort-value="Blair, John" |alt=Seal of Princeton University|frameless|upright=.6
! scope="row" | John Blair
| align="center" |1767–1768
|Graduate of the Log College. College of New Jersey alumnus. College of New Jersey alumnus. College of New Jersey alumnus. Served as acting president.
| align="center" |
|-
| align="center" | 9
| data-sort-value="Carnahan, James" |alt=Portrait of James Carnahan|frameless|upright=.6
! scope="row" | James Carnahan
| align="center" |1823–1854
|One of the founders of the Chi Phi fraternity. College of New Jersey alumnus. College of New Jersey alumnus. Princeton alumnus. Princeton alumnus. Princeton alumnus.
|-
| align="center" | 18
| data-sort-value="Shapiro, Harold T." |alt=Portrait of Harold T. Shapiro|frameless|upright=.6
! scope="row" | Harold T. Shapiro
| align="center" |1988–2001
|10th President of the University of Michigan. Princeton alumnus.