born March 18, 1877, near Hopkinsville, Ky., U.S.
died Jan. 3, 1945, Virginia Beach, Va.
U.S. faith healer.
He received little formal education. He began his cures in the 1920s, often accomplishing them long-distance. In 1925 he settled in Virginia Beach, Va., where he established a hospital (1928) and the Association for Research and Enlightenment (1931). He also made prophecies (including of the destruction of New York City and California) and claimed to be able to recall past lives. He believed in the existence of a great civilization in Atlantis some 12,000 years ago.