Samuel Willard
Samuel Willard | |
|---|---|
| President of Harvard College (acting) | |
| In office September 6, 1701 – September 12, 1707 | |
| Preceded by | Increase Mather |
| Succeeded by | John Leverett the Younger |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 31, 1640 |
| Died | September 12, 1707 (aged 67) |
| Resting place | Granary Burying Ground |
| Spouse(s) |
Abigail Sherman (m. 1664)Eunice Tyng (m. 1679) |
| Occupation | Minister |
| Signature | |
Samuel Willard (January 31, 1640 – September 12, 1707) was a New England Puritan clergyman who served as the acting president of Harvard from 1701 to 1707. He was born in Concord, Massachusetts, graduated from Harvard College in 1659, and was minister at Groton from 1663 to 1676, before being driven out by the Indians during King Philip's War. Willard was pastor of the Third Church, Boston, from 1678 until his death. He notably opposed the Salem witch trials and published many sermons: the folio volume, A Compleat Body of Divinity, was published posthumously in 1726.