John E. (John Eleazer) Remsburg

Born in Fremont, Ohio, on January 7, 1848, he served in the Union Army as a teenager during the Civil War. After the war he spent about 15 years as a teacher and later served as superintendent of public instruction in Atchison, Kansas, before devoting himself more fully to writing and lecturing.

He became well known as an American freethinker and religious skeptic, speaking widely and publishing books that argued for secularism and questioned traditional Christian claims. Among the works associated with him are Bible Morals, The Christ, Thomas Paine, the Apostle of Liberty, and Abraham Lincoln: Was He a Christian?

His writing style was direct and combative, aimed at general readers rather than specialists, which helped give his ideas a broad audience. Though controversial in his own time, he remains of interest today for his role in the history of American freethought and public debate over religion.