1. William Stoughton Jonathan Berke Ms. DelGrego English 3 CP 11/7/11

2. Birth / Early Life I was born on September 30 th, 1631 I was born in either England or Dorchester Massachusetts. My father Israel Stoughton was a wealthy and powerful political figure in Massachusetts. My Mother Elizabeth Clarke was also an active member in political society.

3. Family Life My father,Israel Stoughton, was one of the first people to settle Dorchester, Massachusetts. My father was a prominent political figure and held a seat on the Governors Council My father being the business man that he was constructed the first corn mill in New England. My father Place high value on education and being a devout Puritan

4. Childhood My childhood was of the typical puritan childhood I was either studying in school or reading the bible and praying Because my family was quite wealthy they could afford to send me to good schools and I received a good education

5. Education I studied Divinity in Harvard College and graduated in 1650 After this I attended Oxford and earned a Masters in Art I was close friends with Increase Mathers and his son Cotton Mathers.

6. Career I was appointed to the office of Commissioner of the United Colonies from 1674 until 1676, and again from 1680 until 1686 I served as Deputy President of Massachusetts Bay Colony under Joseph Dudley, my close friend and political ally. In may of 1692 William Phips appointed me to the position of Chief Judge of the court of Oyer and Terminer Once the whole Witchcraft ordeal was over I assisted in quietly accusing William Phips of misusing his political powers Once Phips was removed I remained the Commander and chief of the colony of Massachusetts.

7. Religious Practices My father was a strict and devout puritan and as a child he made sure that I practiced reading the Bible and praying daily. I was offered a position in the Ministry when I returned home form England from my studies because I assisted Increase Mather’s in his ministerial duties I was even offered the position of ministering the Dorchester or Cambridge churches

8. Involvement In the Salem Witch Trials I was the head of the Court of Oyer and Terminer This court was specifically designed to deal with the excess of accusations and reports of Witchcraft. This special Tribunal court was the tool in which people were tried as witches and systematically sentenced to death or jail

9. Involvement Cont. I played a huge role in the witch craft proceedings because I was appointed to be the Chief Justice to hear cases of witchcraft. If I were as concerned about getting an acquittal as I was about getting a conviction in each case the outcome of the Salem Witch Trials could have been quite different and so many innocent people could have been saved. After much debate I allowed the controversial method of using spectral evidence as a method of getting a conviction

10. Death I died on July 7 th 1701 in my home on the corner of Pleasant Street and Savin Hill I died at the ripe old age of 70

11. Works Cited Linder, Douglas. “William Stoughton” Famous American Trials: Salem Witch Trials 1692. 04 Nov. 2011. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SAL_BSTO.HTM http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SAL_BSTO.HTM Mott, Wesley. “William Stoughton Biography” William Stoughton from Dictionary of Literary Biography. 2005. 04 Nov. 2011. http://www.bookrags.com/biography/william-stoughton-dlb/ http://www.bookrags.com/biography/william-stoughton-dlb/ Stevens, Peter. “Dorchester’s Hanging Judge, Dorchester Reporter, September 27, 2001. 04 Nov. 2011. http://www.stoughtonhistory.com/williamstoughton.htm http://www.stoughtonhistory.com/williamstoughton.htm Zeveloff, Julie. “William Stoughton: Chief Justice of the Court of Oyer and Terminer” Salem Witch Trials Important Persons. 2006. 03 Nov. 2011. http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/saxon- salem/servlet/SaxonServlet?source=salem/texts/bios.xml&style=salem/xsl/dynaxml.xsl&chunk.id=b40&clear-stylesheet- cache=yeshttp://www2.iath.virginia.edu/saxon- salem/servlet/SaxonServlet?source=salem/texts/bios.xml&style=salem/xsl/dynaxml.xsl&chunk.id=b40&clear-stylesheet- cache=yes