John Hathorne (1641 - 1717)

John Hathorne

John Hathorne was a merchant and justice of the peace of the colony in Massachusetts, United States.

Hathorne's father, Major William Hathorne, was among the first settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1630s, holding a number of military and political positions over several decades.

John Hathorne himself is known for having participated as a justice of the peace in 1692 in the famous Salem Witch Trials during the witchcraft hysteria. Extant documents prove that Hathorne was the chief prosecutor, convinced of the guilt of the accused. The trial ended with the execution of 20 people, and John Hathorne never repented, although the High Court later acquitted most of the accused. He was appointed a member of the Superior Court in 1702 and sat on it for ten years.

John was the great-great-grandfather of the writer Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), author of many works, including The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gables. They are set in Salem and contain allusions to the witch trials in the history of the house. John Hathorne's personality has served as a prototype for the bigoted and demonic characters of many works by other authors. And Nathaniel Hawthorne himself changed the spelling of his surname to distance himself from his ancestor.