Reverend Dr. Thomas De Witt Talmage (7 January 1832 – 12 April 1902) was an American Presbyterian preacher, clergyman and divine. One of the most prominent religious leaders in the United States during the mid-to late 19th century, equaled as a pulpit orator perhaps only by Henry Ward Beecher, he was also a well-known reformer in New York City and was often involved in crusades against vice and crime during the 1860s and 70s. During the last years of his life, Dr. Talmage ceased preaching and devoted himself to editing, writing, and lecturing. At different periods he was editor of the Christian at Work (1873–76), New York; the Advance (1877–79), Chicago; Frank Leslie's Sunday Magazine (1879–89), New York; and the Christian Herald (1890-1902), New York. For years his sermons were published regularly in more than 3,000 journals, reaching, it is said, 25,000,000 readers. His books also have had large circulations; among them are The Almond Tree in Blossom (1870); Every Day Religion (1875); The Brooklyn Tabernacle (1884); Talmage's Life of Christ (1894); From Manger to Throne (1895); The Pathway of Life (1895); and The Earth Girdled (1896). His eloquence, while sensational, was real and striking. His fluency and the picturesqueness of his language and imagery were remarkable. T. De Witt Talmage was born in Bound Brook, New Jersey on January 7, 1832, and attended the University of New York. Following his graduation in 1853, he studied law for a time before deciding on entering the ministry. He studied theology at the New Brunswick Theological Seminary and began preaching in Belleville, New Jersey and Syracuse, New York once he graduated in 1856. Immediately afterwards, he became pastor of a Reformed church at Belleville. He spent two years as a pastorate in Syracuse before moving to Philadelphia to become the pastor for the Second Reformed Dutch Church in 1862. It was here that Talmage began to establish a reputation as a gifted orator and preacher. He also served as a chaplain for the Union Army during the American Civil War. [1] His family was one of the oldest Dutch American families to settle in New York. On his father's side, whose originally family came from Barton Stacy, England, he descended from the original founders of South Hampton and East Hampton, New York. Four of his brothers also entered the ministry, all of them earning the title Doctor of Divinity, with John Van Nest Talmage winning fame as a missionary in China while his brothers James and Goyn Talmage became noted preachers in their own right. A fifth brother, Daniel Talmage, was a successful merchant. [1] Under his guidance, the church grew from a minor congregation to one of the most powerful and influential institutions in the city. Talmage began attracting large crowds almost from the time of his arrival and, despite being called a "pulpit clown" and "mountebank" for his sensationalist sermons, his following continued to grow until the church could no longer adequately seat everyone who attended. Larger and wealthier congregations began to approach him and eventually Talmage accepted an offer from the Central Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn, New York in 1869. [1] His first wife, Mary R. Avery, was originally from Brooklyn and had two children together before she drowned in the Schuylkill River on June 7, 1861. In May 1863, he married Susan Whittemore of Greenpoint, Long Island and with whom would have five children. Upon her death after thirty-two years of marriage, Talmage received the bulk of his late wife's estate estimated at $200,000 which she left to him in his will. [1] Although he had received substantial offers from Chicago and San Francisco, it is believed the dissension within the Brooklyn Presbyterian Church was a deciding factor in his decision to agree to their offer. Once settled in Brooklyn, Talmage continued his sensationalist services with even greater success than before. An example of one of his colorful performances, as reported by newspapers of the era, described one of his Sunday sermons. [1] Talmage's sermons eventually became the most popular religious experiences of the era and, in 1870, a tabernacle was built solely for the purpose of accommodating the large crowds who attended his church service. The building was built over an old church edifice then being used as a Sunday School and, so enthusiastic was the demand for his sermons, construction was completed in only three months. Talmage personally opened the tabernacle to the public when the first church service was held. Seating was free of charge and, although it had been built specifically to seat large crowds, hundreds were turned away every Sunday. [1] The original tabernacle was destroyed in a fire in December 1872, viewed by many on their way to attend Sunday morning church services, and at the time was regarded as one of the worst fires in the Brooklyn's history. Talmage and his congregation then met at the Academy of Music until a newer and larger tabernacle was built in 1874. The newly completed building featured semicircular seating which provided an unobstructed view for those in attendance. Talmage continued to preach there with great success for several more years until the second tabernacle was also destroyed in a fire in 1889. The congregation, convinced that there was "a fatality about the location", agreed to move construction of a third tabernacle from Schemerhorn Street to Clinton and Greene Avenues. After this tabernacle was also destroyed in a fire in 1894, a discouraged Talmage announced he would retire from holding a regular pastorate in favor of taking up an evangelist practice. [1] He later reconsidered this decision an accepted an offer to join the First Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC where, from 1895 to 1899, he was the associate pastor with Dr. Byron Sunderland. Although he continued to attract large crowds, the enthusiasm of the crowds never experienced the same levels as his Philadelphia or Brooklyn congregations. This was not so much his being less popular but the more conservative attitudes of the residents of Washington as well as his increasing interest in religious journalism. He continued preaching in Washington for another four years until resigning as pastor on March 9, 1880, so as to exclusively devote himself to "religious journalism and the more general works of the cities". [1] His sermons were thereafter regularly printed in newspapers across the country although, because of the personal element so crucial in his performances was lost in print, his popularity began to wane somewhat during the 1880s and 90s. In January 1898, he married a third time to 40-year-old Eleanor Collier of Allegheny City, Pennsylvania. Collier was a wealthy young widower herself, having previously been married to the late Judge Charles W. Collier, and was 27 years his junior. [1] In early-1902, Talmage vacationed in Mexico for six weeks to recover from influenza and serious catarrhal conditions. By the time of his return to Washington however, he had become seriously ill. His condition was not considered life-threatening until the first week of April. His last intelligible words were to his daughter on the day preceding her marriage to Charles F. Wyckoff when he said to her "Of course I know you, Maude." before lapsing into a coma. He remained at his home surrounded by his family and slowly grew weaker until his death at 9:00 pm on April 12, 1902. The immediate cause of death was inflammation of the brain. [2] Three days later, his body was brought to the Church of the Covenant where a quiet funeral service was held. There was no funeral sermon, however several close friends and associates spoke of his life and works. Among those who assisted included Dr. Teunis S. Hamlin of the Church of the Covenant, Dr. Thomas Chalmers of the Eastern Presbyterian Church, St. Louis preacher and lifelong friend Dr. Samuel J. Nicols, and former classmates Dr. E.P. Terhune, Dr. Howard Suydam and Dr. James Demarest. His passing was mourned by many, especially among his former congregation in Brooklyn, and "messages of sympathy" were received from almost every state in the U.S. as well as from England, Russia and other European countries. Talmage was later buried in the family plot at Greenwood Cemetery. [3]