Which leading boston minister is usually credited with ending the witch hangings, after he gave a sermon in which he said "it were better that ten suspected witches should escape than that one innocent person should be condemned."?

 The correct answer is :  Increase Mather

Explanation:  He studied at Harvard and became a minister and Doctor in Sacred Theology. When he became president of Harvard he began writing about witchcraft. He was a rigorous very influential Puritan in Boston. He advised the congregation to focus their attention on their own deficiencies and not those of others, but this message was not so clear and failed to stop the trials in Salem and continued to increase, in 1692 19 had been hanged and others tortured. However, he continued with his strong statements, the trials were completed.