Cotton Mather ( February 12 , 1663 â `` February 13 , 1728 ) was a politically important Puritan minister and writer . Cotton Mather , FRS ( February 12 , 1663 -- February 13 , 1728 ; A.B. 1678 , Harvard College ; A.M. 1681 , honorary doctorate 1710 , University of Glasgow ) was a socially and politically influential New England Puritan minister , prolific author and pamphleteer ; he is often remembered for his role in the Salem witch trials .