Robert G. Ingersoll Known as "the Great Agnostic," Robert G. Ingersoll was an American lawyer, author, and orator who advocated for agnosticism during the Golden Age of Free Thought. He lived from August 11, 1833, to July 21, 1899. In Dresden, New York, Robert Ingersollwas born. His father, John Ingersoll, was a radical Congregationalist preacher who supported abolition and regularly moved his family as a result of his views. While American revivalist Charles G. Finney was on a tour of Europe, Rev. John Ingersoll temporarily filled in as the preacher. After Finney's return, Rev. Ingersoll stayed as Finney's co-pastor and associate pastor. In 1853, "Bob" Ingersoll spent a time teaching in Metropolis, Illinois, where he delegated the "larger part of the instruction, while Latin and history absorbed his own attention" to one of his pupils, the future judge Angus M. L. McBane. Ingersoll had already worked as a teacher in Mount Vernon, Illinois, at some point before taking the position in Metropolis. On February 13, 1862, Ingersoll wed Eva Amelia Parker (1841–1923). Their two daughters were well-known feminists and suffragists, Eva Ingersoll-Brown, was the elder daughter.
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