Dates

• Existence: 10 April 1829 - 20 August 1912

Biography

William Booth was an English Methodist preacher who founded the Salvation Army with his wife Catherine in 1865. Booth was the first ‘General’ of the Army.

William Booth grew up in poverty and took an apprenticeship as pawnbroker at the age of 13. Two years later he was converted and trained himself to become a Methodist preacher. He started to preach to the poor in the 1840s and by 1851, he joined the Methodist Reform Church, and became a full-time preacher.

Booth married Catherine Mumford in 1855 and eventually, became an independent evangelist.

By 1865, Booth and Catherine started The Christian Revival Society in the East End of London, which became The Salvation Army in 1878. In the early 1880s, The Salvation Army started to spread to countries around the world, including the United States, Europe and many of the colonies. Booth experienced wide-spread hostility from various groups including the press for many years, however public opinion eventually changed and in his later years, he was received in audience by kings, and heads of states around the world.

William Booth died on 20 August 1912.

Found in 3 Collections and/or Records: