Increase Mather

Born in Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony, in 1639, he grew up in a family deeply tied to New England Puritan life and later studied at Harvard and at Trinity College Dublin. He became one of the leading ministers in Boston and wrote widely on religion, public life, and the crises facing the colony.

He served for many years as president of Harvard, helping guide the school during a difficult period, and he was also active in colonial politics, including efforts to defend Massachusetts interests in England. His career made him one of the most prominent clergymen in seventeenth-century New England.

Today, he is often remembered both for his immense influence and for his connection to the Salem witch trials era. Although he was part of that world, he is frequently noted for arguing that doubtful evidence should be treated with care, a position that has kept him central to discussions of the period.