Dwight Lyman Moody

Born in Northfield, Massachusetts, in 1837, Dwight Lyman Moody left home young and worked in Boston before moving to Chicago, where he built a successful career in the shoe trade. In Chicago he also threw himself into Christian outreach, especially Sunday school work among poor children, and gradually shifted from business into full-time evangelism.

Moody rose to international fame in the 1870s through revival campaigns in the United States and the British Isles. He was known less for polished theology than for direct, accessible preaching that emphasized personal conversion, practical faith, and the possibility of immediate spiritual change. His work was closely linked with gospel singer Ira D. Sankey, whose music became an important part of the meetings.

Later in life, he helped found schools in Northfield, Massachusetts, including institutions that developed into the Northfield School for Girls and Mount Hermon School for Boys, reflecting his strong interest in education and lay Christian service. He died in 1899, but his influence continued through the schools, the Moody Church tradition, and the Chicago Bible Institute that later became Moody Bible Institute.