George Whitefield

born December 16, 1714 in Gloucester
died September 29, 1770 in Newburyport, Massachusetts

A Calvinist by persuasion, English-born Anglican priest who was the most famous preacher of the 1st Great Awakening in America. He was an itinerant preacher and skilled orator, known for preaching outdoors to crowds of thousands (since no church could hold the crowds and no preacher wanted to lend his pulpit to such a celebrity. His sermons would last for two hours, and were marked by weeping, foot-stomping, and other sorts of "histrionics" in the words of his critics.

At Oxford, he became a member of the "Holy Club," which also included John and Charles Wesley. John lent him a book, The Life of God in the Soul of Man, which led to an intense religious conversion. He is considered, to have contributed to the founding of Methodism along with the Wesleys. In America, through his work in the 1st Great Awakening, he also had influence upon Presbyterians, Baptists, and Congregationalists.


For more information, see:
Biography from Christianity Today
Biography from CCEL

Works:
Selected Sermons of George Whitefield