Wise, John (1652–1725)

US congregational clergyman, theologian, and author. Known for his independent views and lively prose, he also defended those accused of witchcraft (1703) and promoted smallpox vaccinations. His egalitarian ‘democratic’ views made him a popular writer for both American Revolutionaries and abolitionists.

Born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, he graduated from Harvard in 1673, then served as a preacher in Branford, Connecticut (1675–76), in Hatfield, Massachusetts (1677–78), and in Ipswich, Massachusetts, where he was ordained in 1683. He spent the rest of his life in Ipswich (with the exception of service as chaplain of the 1690 expedition to Québec) and became embroiled in battles against colonial taxes. He also protested against the centralization of church government, as seen in The Vindication of the Church Government of New-England Churches (1717).