C. T. (Charles Taze) Russell

Born in Pittsburgh on February 16, 1852, Charles Taze Russell was an American religious leader best known for founding the Bible Student movement. As a young man he broke with some traditional Protestant teachings, especially ideas about eternal torment, and became deeply interested in biblical prophecy and the meaning of Christ's return.

In the 1870s and 1880s, he helped organize study groups, launched the magazine Zion's Watch Tower, and established the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. He became widely known as “Pastor Russell,” and his writings and serialized sermons circulated broadly through books, pamphlets, and newspapers.

Russell died on October 31, 1916, near Pampa, Texas, while traveling. His work shaped the International Bible Students Association and strongly influenced the movement from which Jehovah's Witnesses later emerged, making him an important and much-discussed figure in American religious history.