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Increase Mather (; June 21, 1639 Old Style – August 23, 1723 Old Style) was a New England Puritan clergyman in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the sixth President of Harvard College (later renamed Harvard University) for twenty years (1681–1701). During his tenure, he was influential in the administration of the colony during a time that coincided with the notorious Salem witch trials.
The stated reason for his first name was "…the never-to-be-forgotten , of every sort, wherewith God favoured the country about the time of his nativity." The name "Increase" is a literal translation of the Hebrew "Yosëf" (Joseph). He was the youngest of six — The relevant excerpt can be seen here brothers, the others being Samuel, Nathaniel, Eleazar, Joseph, and Timothy. The first three of these also became ministers.
In 1651, Mather was admitted to Harvard College, where he roomed with and studied under Robert Massey. In 1656, aged 17, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree and began to train for the ministry, giving his first sermon on his 18th birthday. He quickly left Massachusetts and went to Ireland, where he studied at Trinity College, Dublin, for a Master of Arts degree. During his time at Trinity College he was licensed as a Commonwealth Minister by Oliver Cromwell to the joint charge of St Tida's Church, Ballyscullion, and St Swithan's Church, Magherafelt. He graduated in 1658.
After Cromwell's death in 1658, Mather felt less secure in his post in the Channel Islands due to Charles II's return to the throne. He resigned the position in 1660 and sailed for Boston in 1661. Harvard later awarded Mather the first honorary degree in the New World; he became a Doctor of Sacred Theology in 1692.
Mather was ordination as minister of the North Church. He held this post until he died.
On November 27, 1676, Mather's home, the meeting house, and a total of 45 buildings in Boston's North End were destroyed by a fire. The meeting house was rebuilt soon afterwards, and the Paul Revere House was later constructed on the site of the Mather House.
Mather was rarely present on campus or in the town, especially during his term of Rector, as he was out of the Colony for all but two years of his term in that office. Despite his absences he did make some changes: re-implementation of Greek language and Hebrew language instruction, replacement of classical Roman authors with Bible and Christian authors in ethics classes, enactment of requirements that students attend classes regularly, live and eat on campus, and that seniors not hazing other students.
The Dominion was headed by Edmund Andros, who not only disliked puritanism and was haughty, but ruled as a near-absolute dictator: were outlawed, leaving the Dominion without consent of the governed, marriage was removed from the clergy, and the Old South Church was temporarily appropriated for Anglicanism services.
The 1687 Declaration of Indulgence, prohibiting discrimination against Catholics, saw staunch opposition from the Puritan establishment. When Mather successfully roused opposition to revocation of the charter, he was nearly framed for treason. He traveled to London (eluding spies out to catch him) to petition the King. While engaged in petitioning he published pieces to build popular support for his positions, such as A Narrative of the Miseries of New-England, By Reason of an dictatorship Erected there Under Sir Edmund Andros (1688) and A Brief Relation for the Confirmation of Charter Privileges (1691).
He attempted to restore the old charter and obtain a royal charter for Harvard; however, he abandoned that course and changed his petitions, favoring a new charter not lacking any of the rights previously granted. Following the Glorious Revolution and subsequent overthrow of Andros, a new charter was granted to the colony. The 1692 charter was a major departure from its predecessor, granting sweeping home rule, establishing an elective legislature, enfranchising all fee simple (previously only men admitted to a congregation could vote), and uniting the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Plymouth Colony. Following Andros' deposition and arrest, he had William Phips appointed as Royal Governor and they returned to Massachusetts, arriving on May 14, 1692. Following his return, the administration of Harvard grew increasingly insistent that he reside nearer to the institution. Not wanting to leave his Second Church, he did not do so, and eventually resigned the Presidency.
In November 1692, he published Cases of Conscience Concerning Evil Spirits which defended the judges and trials, but also expressed words of caution, perhaps due to public pressure. In the postscript, included with the initial first edition of the book, he mentions his own attendance at the trial of George Burroughs and his agreement with the capital judgment against him. Burroughs had been a fellow minister who seems to have substituted at the pulpit for Mather on at least one occasion. Diary of Increase Mather 1675–1676. Samuel A Green, Cambridge, 1900. p 8. See entry for April,1675. Via Google books. Like his work from 1684, this 1692 work also cites Malleus Maleficarum.Bound together with his son's work from late 1692, in London edition and reprinted in 1862: Wonders of the Invisible World p. 270, via Google books.
His reputation was not improved afterwards or for posterity, due to his association with the trials and his subsequent refusal to denounce them. He was also briefly mentioned in a thorough treatment of his son Cotton by Robert Calef in his comprehensive book of the Salem Trials and their aftermath, More Wonders of the Invisible World (referred to as More Wonders of the Spiritual World by the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition). Increase Mather was said to have burned Calef's book in Harvard Yard.
In 1715, following the death of his wife Maria the previous year, he married Ann Cotton, widow of his nephew John. "Increase Mather", Britannica; accessed March 3, 2018.
Mather owned a slave named Spaniard.
Before his death, he took lodging at the retreat of Mineral Spring Pond to recover from his illness and drink from the famous healing waters of the springs from Spring Pond.
He was strenuous in attempting to keep people to his idea of morality, making strong use of to try to prevent indifference and especially to try to get government officials to enforce public morality. During his tenure at Harvard he regularly stamped out any relaxation of Puritan strictness, such as latitudinarianism, which had flourished during his overseas absence.
Following his acceptance of the Covenant, Solomon Stoddard and others attempted to further liberalize Puritanism by baptism of children who had nonmember parents and admittance of all but the openly immoral to services. To try to stop this, Mather had a synod called to outlaw similar measures. A declaration was adopted, but never made binding.
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