born May 31, 1898, Bowersville, Ohio, U.S.
died Dec. 24, 1993, Pawling, N.Y.
U.S. Protestant clergyman.
The son of a Methodist preacher, he attended Ohio Wesleyan University and was ordained a pastor in the Methodist Episcopal church. After leading congregations in Brooklyn and Syracuse, N.Y., in 1933 he became pastor of Marble Collegiate Church in New York City, where he remained for the rest of his career. In 1937 he cofounded the Religio-Psychiatric Clinic, which combined religion and psychiatry in the interests of mental health. He gained fame through radio and television sermons and through his books, including the best-selling Power of Positive Thinking (1952). In 1969 he was elected president of the Reformed Church in America.