Papers of Increase Mather

Increase Mather (1639-1723) was the sixth president of Harvard College, serving as acting president from 1685 to 1686, rector from 1686 to 1692, and president from 1692 to 1701.

Born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, Mather received his A.B. from Harvard in 1656, and an A.M. degree from Trinity College, Dublin, in 1658. Mather preached in England and Guernsey until 1661, when he returned to Massachusetts and was ordained as minister at the North Church in Boston, a position he held for sixty years. While in England, Mather married Maria Cotton (1662-1714), with whom he had ten children. Their eldest child was Cotton Mather (1663-1728), the influential minister notable for his involvement in the Salem witch trials. Shortly after Maria's death in 1714, Mather married Ann Lake Cotton (1663-1737).

A staunch proponent of Puritan religious orthodoxy, Increase Mather defended religious uniformity in New England and supported the enforcement of a strict moral code in Massachusetts.

Mather’s administrative tenure at Harvard lasted sixteen years, beginning with his appointment as acting president in 1685. During this time he retained his ministry in Boston, refusing to live in Cambridge, and spent much of his time in England where he pursued political matters on behalf of the Massachusetts colony. He also sought unsuccessfully to replace the Harvard Charter of 1650 with a royal charter, believing that this would provide a stronger legal foundation for the College.

Although Mather’s influence as president of Harvard was limited, he revised the College curriculum, restoring instruction in Greek and Hebrew and emphasizing the use of Biblical and Christian writings in the teaching of ethics. He also rewrote the College laws to require student residence in dormitories, attendance at meals, and regular attendance at lectures and recitations.

Opposition to Mather’s presidency and his perceived lack of attention to the College eventually grew strong enough to force his resignation from Harvard in 1701. He continued in his Boston ministry for another twenty years. Increase Mather died in 1723.

Footnote on date conventionsPlease note that descriptions of documents dated between January 1 and March 25 before 1752 have been cited with the double date convention, e.g., 1649/50 February 27. This convention was used in England and the North American colonies between 1582 and 1752. The first date refers to the year by the Julian calendar, which began on March 25, while the second refers to the year by the Gregorian calendar, which began on January 1.

References:

• Hall, Michael G. Mather, Increase; http://www.anb.org.ezp-prod1.hul.harvard.edu/articles/01/01-00581.html; American National Biography Online Feb. 2000.
• Morison, Samuel Eliot. Harvard College in the Seventeenth Century. Part II. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1936.
• Publications of The Colonial Society of Massachusetts: Documents from the Harvard University Archives, 1638-1750. Volume 49. Boston: The Society, 1975.
• Sibley, John Langdon. Biographical Sketches of Graduates of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Volume I, 1642-1658. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Charles William Sever, University Bookstore, 1873.

Please note that descriptions of documents dated between January 1 and March 25 before 1752 have been cited with the double date convention, e.g., 1649/50 February 27. This convention was used in England and the North American colonies between 1582 and 1752. The first date refers to the year by the Julian calendar, which began on March 25, while the second refers to the year by the Gregorian calendar, which began on January 1.