Who Was Cotton Mather? Brilliant Scientist, Misguided Minister

By | April 25, 2019

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Circa 1710, Cotton Mather (1663-1728). American Congregational clergyman. Source: (Photo by Stock Montage/Getty Images).

In Puritan New England in the 1690s, there were two things that struck fear into the hearts of the people—smallpox and witchcraft. For one colonial American minister, scientist, author, and leader, both of these fears would define his life. He is Cotton Mather, one of the most brilliant minds of his era with progressive views on disease control. Yet his strict religious views and fear of the devil led him to condone the hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials. 

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Harvard University. Source: (founderspatriots.org)

Cotton Mather, the Early Years

Cotton Mather was born on February 12, 1663, to a prominent family in colonial Massachusetts. His father, Increase Mather, was the president of Harvard University. Like his father before him, Cotton Mather was a diligent and dedicated scholar. By the time he was 12 years old, he has mastered both Greek and Latin. At age 18, he had earned a master’s degree from Harvard.