Christopher L. Eisgruber
A constitutional scholar turned university president who champions free speech and the value of the humanities in a polarized world.
Born 1961 (age 65)·20th President of Princeton University·Birthday: September 24·Baby Boomers
Biography
Christopher L. Eisgruber’s path to the presidency of Princeton was not a traditional academic ascent. A first-generation college student from Washington state, he arrived at Princeton as an undergraduate and was profoundly shaped by its commitment to undergraduate teaching. After studying at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and graduating from the University of Chicago Law School, he built a career as a respected constitutional law scholar, focusing on the thorny intersections of religion and government. In 2013, he returned to Princeton as its 20th president, bringing a lawyer’s precision and a deep belief in the university’s core mission. His tenure has been defined by a vigorous defense of free expression on campus, a significant expansion of financial aid to make Princeton accessible to students from all backgrounds, and a push to demonstrate how a liberal arts education prepares graduates to tackle complex global problems. He leads not as a distant administrator but as a teacher, still regularly engaging with students in the classroom and campus debates.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Christopher was born in 1961, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Christopher Was Born
The biggest hits of 1961
#1 Movie
101 Dalmatians
Best Picture
West Side Story
#1 TV Show
Wagon Train
Christopher's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1961Born
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1966Started school
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1974Became a teenager
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Could drive
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1979Could vote
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Turned 21
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1991Turned 30
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 40
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 50
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 60
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 65 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Appointed as the 20th President of Princeton University in 2013, overseeing its academic and operational strategy.
- Expanded Princeton's financial aid program dramatically, replacing loans with grants and making the university tuition-free for most families earning under $100,000.
- Authored the book 'The Future of Affirmative Action' and numerous scholarly articles on constitutional law and religious freedom.
- Served as a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens early in his legal career.
Did You Know?
He was a champion high school debater in Washington state.
Eisgruber is a huge fan of the Seattle Mariners baseball team.
He met his wife, Lori Martin, when they were both undergraduates at Princeton.
As president, he revived the tradition of living in the president's official on-campus residence, Lowrie House.
““The most important thing that universities do is to teach people how to think, not what to think.””
