Leonard Woolsey Bacon

Born in New Haven, Connecticut, on January 1, 1830, Leonard Woolsey Bacon became an American Congregational minister, social commentator, and prolific author. He wrote on religious, social, and historical subjects, building a reputation as a thoughtful voice in public and church life.

Bacon was the son of the well-known minister Leonard Bacon, and he followed a similarly literary and religious path. Over the course of his career he served as a clergyman while also publishing widely, bringing together pastoral concerns, historical interest, and commentary on the issues of his day.

He died on May 12, 1907. Remembered for the breadth of his writing as much as for his ministry, Bacon left behind work that reflects the lively religious and intellectual debates of nineteenth-century America.