author
J. W. (Jonathan Wingate) Winkley
1833–1912
A doctor, reformer, and New Thought writer, he is best remembered for a firsthand, deeply sympathetic portrait of abolitionist John Brown. His work blends personal memory, moral conviction, and an interest in practical spiritual living.
1 Audiobook
John Brown the Hero: Personal Reminiscences
by J. W. (Jonathan Wingate) Winkley
About the author
Born in 1833 and died in 1912, Jonathan Wingate Winkley wrote under the name J. W. Winkley and is chiefly known today for John Brown the Hero: Personal Reminiscences (1905). Library and catalog records identify him as the book's author, and contemporary title pages describe him as an M.D. and as editor of Practical Ideals.
The surviving record suggests a writer whose interests ranged from history and reform to spirituality and self-culture. In addition to his memoir of John Brown, he also wrote First Lessons in the New Thought; or, The Way to the Ideal Life, linking him with the early New Thought movement.
What makes Winkley especially interesting is the mix of roles attached to his name: physician, editor, and author of a personal account of one of the most controversial antislavery figures in American history. Even from the limited biographical details that are easy to confirm, he comes across as a figure shaped by both 19th-century reform energy and a strong belief in moral purpose.