Charles Chauncy

Charles Chauncy (1592–1672) was a prominent English Puritan theologian and the second president of Harvard College, serving from 1654 until his death. A staunch defender of Reformed theology and congregational polity, Chauncy wielded considerable influence over New England religious thought during the formative decades of Puritan settlement, emphasizing the magistrate's duty to uphold godly order while maintaining ecclesiastical independence. His published works, including treatises on civil governance and divine providence, articulated the Puritan vision of a covenanted commonwealth in which both secular and religious authorities operated within divinely ordained spheres.