William Stoughton
William Stoughton was an English-born minister and politician known primarily for his controversial role as the presiding justice during the Salem witch trials of 1692. He initially arrived in Colonial America in the late 1640s to study at Harvard College and returned in 1662 to serve as a preacher in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Stoughton is recognized for his early sermon, "New-Englands True Interest, Not to Lie," which is considered a significant example of the American jeremiad, reflecting his theological beliefs and the political context of his time.
Throughout his career, Stoughton held various judicial roles, including deputy president appointed by the crown after the revocation of Massachusetts's charter in 1684. His legal decisions during the witch trials, influenced by his background in theology rather than law, led to the acceptance of dubious evidence, which significantly contributed to the injustice of the proceedings. Despite the notoriety from these trials, he maintained a respected status in the colony and served as acting governor for several years until his death in 1701. Stoughton, who remained unmarried, was noted for his philanthropic efforts, including donations to charities and educational institutions, as well as his contributions to the church and the local community.
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William Stoughton
- Born: September 30, 1631
- Birthplace: England
- Died: July 7, 1701
Biography
English-born minister and politician William Stoughton is most notorious for his role as the presiding justice who allowed the infamous deviations from evidentiary procedure that characterized the Salem witch trials. Long before that, however, in 1670, he penned and delivered a sermon, New-Englands True Interest, Not to Lie: Or, A Treatise Declaring from the Word of Truth the Terms on Which We Stand, and the Tenure by Which We Hold Our Hitherto- Continued Precious and Pleasant Things, which is considered a early prototype and significant instance of the American jeremiad.
Stoughton came to Colonial America first in the late 1640’s to take a theology degree from Harvard College and then again in 1662, following a number of years at Oxford, to work as a preacher in Dorchester, Massachusetts. He was given responsibilities overseeing the courts of the temporary government, serving first from 1674 to 1678 and then holding the office again from 1680 to 1686. He travelled to England in the early 1680’s to alleviate royal concerns that Massachusetts had exceeded the limits of her charter, but he was unsuccessful and England took control of the colony after the revocation of their proprietary charter in 1684. Stoughton, who was viewed by the colonists as having not done enough to prevent revocation, was appointed deputy president by the crown. In 1686, he became the assistant to the chief justice of Massachusetts and in 1692 was appointed lieutenant governor, the post he held until his death in 1701.
When the witch trials began in 1692, Stoughton was appointed to oversee them directly, and—perhaps because of his theological background or perhaps merely because of his lack of legal training—he admitted many kinds of evidence that would not normally have been acceptable in a court of law. His decisions regarding evidence contributed significantly to the travesty of justice and the historically memorable horrors of the trials. Stoughton never made a public apology or acknowledgment of his misguided ruthlessness during the trials.
Despite this, during the last years of his life, Stoughton was highly respected throughout the colony. From 1694 until his death in 1701, he served nearly continuously as the acting governor of the colony while Governor Phips was in England. He never married, donating much of his wealth to charities, building Stoughton Hall at Harvard, and bequeathing his estate to the church, the schools in Dorchester where he had begun his career, and the poor.