Stephen Sewall was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 professor on Hebrew language in Harvard University

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

, an expert in Oriental languages, and was considered one of the best scholars of his generation.

In 1761, shortly after graduating from Harvard University, he was hired by his alma mater to serve as Judah Monis

Judah Monis

Judah Monis was North America's first college instructor of the Hebrew language, teaching at Harvard College from 1722 to 1760, and authored the first Hebrew textbook published in North America. Monis was also the first Jew to receive a college degree in the American colonies...

's replacement as a lecturer in Hebrew. He was born in York, Maine

York, Maine

York is a town in York County, Maine, United States at the southwest corner of the state. The population in the 2000 census was 12,854. Situated beside the Atlantic Ocean on the Gulf of Maine, York is a well-known summer resort. It is home to three 18-hole golf clubs, three sandy beaches, and...

 and died in Boston, Massachusetts.