Reverend Billy Graham

The son of a North Carolina dairy farmer, Reverend Billy Graham became one of the most influential Christian evangelists in American history. A graduate of Wheaton College in Illinois, he was ordained a Southern Baptist minister in 1939. He built his reputation after World War II through radio broadcasts, tent revivals, and rallies in the United States and Britain. He was first invited to the White House in 1949 by President Truman and provided counsel to every subsequent administration. From
the pulpit, he spoke out against apartheid and segregation in the American South. He received the Congressional Gold Medal in 1996.