About
Robert Green Ingersoll, born August 11, 1833 in Dresden, New York, was an American lawyer, orator, and politician. Son of a Congregationalist minister, he was admitted to the bar in 1854 and practiced law in Illinois. During the Civil War, he raised and commanded the 11th Illinois Cavalry Regiment, fought at Shiloh, and was captured in 1862. He served as Illinois Attorney General from 1867 to 1869. Known as 'the Great Agnostic,' he became the foremost American orator advocating freethought, secularism, and separation of church and state. He delivered famous lectures such as The Gods and Some Mistakes of Moses. He died on July 21, 1899 in Dobbs Ferry, New York.
* 1833-08-11 — † 1899-07-21
Major works
- The Gods and Other Lectures (1876)lecture collection
- Ghosts (1878)lecture
- Some Mistakes of Moses (1879)lecture
- What Must We Do to Be Saved? (1880)lecture
- Why I Am an Agnostic (1896)lecture
Key milestones
- 1867Appointed Illinois Attorney General, serving until 1869.
- 1876Delivered the 'Plumed Knight' speech nominating James G. Blaine at the Republican National Convention, earning a national reputation as an orator.
- 1892Delivered the eulogy at Walt Whitman's funeral; Whitman had called him 'the greatest orator of his time.'
Themes
FreethoughtAgnosticismSecularismSeparation of church and stateCriticism of religion
Sources: findingaids.loc.gov · en.wikisource.org · loc.gov