William Stoughton (Massachusetts)

(1631-1701)

Salem witch trial magistrate, Massachusetts colonial official

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William Stoughton (1631 – July 7, 1701) was a New England Puritan magistrate and administrator in the Province of Massachusetts Bay. He was in charge of what have come to be known as the Salem Witch Trials, first as the Chief Justice of the Special Court of Oyer and Terminer in 1692, and then as the Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Judicature in 1693. In these trials he controversially accepted spectral evidence (based on supposed demonic visions). Unlike some of the other magistrates, he never admitted to the possibility that his acceptance of such evidence was in error.

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Born	30 September 1631 Kingdom of England or Massachusetts Bay Colony (accounts differ)
Died	7 July 1701 (aged 69) Dorchester, Suffolk County, Province of Massachusetts Bay
Zodiac	Libra
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