author
Robert E. (Robert Elliott) Speer
1867–1947
A leading Presbyterian voice in the era of global missions, he spent decades shaping how American churches thought about faith, service, and international outreach. He was also a prolific writer whose books carried his ideas far beyond the pulpit and boardroom.
1 Audiobook
The Stuff of Manhood: Some Needed Notes in American Character
by Robert E. (Robert Elliott) Speer
About the author
Born in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, in 1867, Robert Elliott Speer became one of the best-known Presbyterian leaders of his time. He studied at Princeton and soon moved into mission work, gaining a reputation as an energetic speaker, organizer, and advocate for Christian service around the world.
Speer spent most of his career with the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions, serving for many years as its senior secretary. In that role he traveled widely, wrote extensively, and helped shape Protestant missionary thought in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was known not only as an administrator but also as an author of books on missions, faith, and public life.
Remembered as an influential churchman and missionary statesman, Speer remained an important figure in American Protestant history until his death in 1947. His work reflects a period when religious leadership, publishing, and international engagement were closely connected.