Samuel Sewall

Samuel Sewall (1652-1730), American colonial jurist, born in Bishopstoke, England, and educated at Harvard College (now Harvard University). From 1681 to 1684 he managed the only licensed press in Boston. In 1683 he became deputy to the general court for the settlement of Westfield in Massachusetts, and in 1684 he was named a magistrate of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Sewall served as a judge at the colony's sensational witchcraft trials in 1692; 20 people were condemned to death. Five years later Sewall publicly admitted his wrong decisions, the only judge involved to make such public statement of his error. Sewall was justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court from 1692 to 1718 and from 1718 to 1728 served as chief justice. His diary, a witty and perceptive chronicle, was published as part of the Massachusetts Historical Society Collections (3 volumes, 1878-82).