Robert G. Ingersoll
Robert Green Ingersoll was a prominent 19th-century freethinker, orator, and attorney.
Born in 1833, he became known for his lectures criticizing religion and advocating for reason and human rights.
Ingersoll served as a colonel in the Civil War and briefly as Illinois' Attorney General.
Despite his popularity as a speaker, his political career was limited by his controversial views.
Ingersoll was friends with three U.S. presidents and respected by many leading progressives of his time.
He championed causes such as women's rights, racial equality, and the separation of church and state.
His eloquent speeches and writings continue to be admired for their wit, clarity, and humanitarian values.
