author
Marshall J. (Marshall Jerome) Gauvin
1881–1978
A self-educated freethought lecturer from Canada, he spent decades challenging organized religion in clear, public language. His books and talks brought debates about science, belief, and reason to wide audiences across North America.
1 Audiobook
The illustrated story of evolution
by Marshall J. (Marshall Jerome) Gauvin
About the author
Born near Moncton, New Brunswick, in 1881, Marshall J. Gauvin came from Acadian roots and spent his early working years with the Canadian National Railway as a carpenter and cabinet maker. While doing that work, he educated himself for a very different career: public lecturing and writing on freethought, religion, and science.
He went on to become a well-known atheist speaker and author in the freethought movement. Sources from the University of Manitoba and the Manitoba Historical Society describe years of lecturing in cities including Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, and Minneapolis before he settled in Winnipeg in 1926, where he continued giving regular public lectures. He also contributed to Truth Seeker, and his best-known books include The Illustrated Story of Evolution, Did Jesus Christ Really Live?, The Fundamentals of Freethought, and The Struggle Between Religion and Science.
Gauvin died in Winnipeg in 1978. His papers and collected writings are preserved by the University of Manitoba, reflecting the lasting place he held in North American freethought and rationalist circles.