Russell H. Conwell

Russell H. Conwell (1843–1925) was an American Baptist minister, lecturer and educator. A Massachusetts farm boy, he served as a Union officer in the Civil War, practiced law and journalism, and in 1882 became pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Philadelphia, which grew under him into the Baptist Temple. From night classes for working people he built Temple University, of which he was the first president, and he also founded the Samaritan Hospital. His lecture Acres of Diamonds, delivered more than six thousand times, argued that opportunity lies in one's own backyard, and its fees paid for the education of thousands of students.