Brattle, Thomas

▪ North American entrepreneur

born June 20, 1658, Boston, Mass. [U.S.]

died May 18, 1713, Boston

      British American-colonial merchant and official of Harvard (Harvard University) College.

      Little is known of Brattle's career in business, except that he amassed a considerable fortune and made several generous gifts to Harvard. He was made treasurer of the college in 1693 and held this office until his death; under his supervision the financial assets of the college were notably augmented.

      Brattle was an accomplished amateur mathematician and astronomer and took an abiding interest in the forms of religious worship. He leaned toward the Church of England and for this reason incurred the displeasure of Cotton Mather (Mather, Cotton). Brattle declined to be drawn into serious religious controversies and instead proceeded quietly to organize, with others, the Brattle Street Church in Boston. This edifice was completed in 1699. He was an influential protester against the persecution of “witches” in 1692 and, in that year, circulated a pamphlet “giving a full and candid account of the delusion called witchcraft.”

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