Cotton Mather — American Theologian born on February 12, 1663, died on February 13, 1728

Cotton Mather, FRS was a socially and politically influential New England Puritan minister, prolific author, and pamphleteer. Known for his vigorous support for the Salem witch trials, he also left a scientific legacy due to his hybridization experiments and his promotion of inoculation for disease prevention. He was subsequently denied the Presidency of Harvard College which his father, Increase, had held... (wikipedia)