William Franklin Graham Jr. known as Billy Graham, is an American evangelical Christian evangelist, an ordained Southern Baptist minister, who became well known internationally after 1949.
Background
William Franklin Graham, Jr. was born November 7, 1918, on a dairy farm near Charlotte, North Carolina, which his paternal grandfather Crook Graham bought after serving in the Confederate army. Young Billy would read from his collection of history books. He also practiced baseball when finished with his chores, because and his ambition was to become a professional baseball player. It was changed into a commitment to an evangelical career by a religious conversion experience when he was 16.
Education
He was educated in conservative Christian colleges: Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina, the Florida Bible Institute (now called Trinity College) near Tampa, and Wheaton College in Illinois, where he received a bachelor of arts degree in anthropology in 1943.
Career
Graham was first vice president of Youth for Christ International from 1945 to 1948. He served as president of Northwestern College in Minneapolis from 1947 to 1952. He met singer George Beverly Shea and song leader Cliff Barrows and the three formed a lasting partnership. The three began offering revival meetings in small churches and started developing a following. In 1949, Graham, Shea, and Barrows had a meeting in Los Angeles and rather than the usual crowd of 3, 000 or so, more than 10, 000 turned out to hear the backwoods preacher and his team. He was the founder and president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and editor in chief of Decision magazine. The organization is run by a board of directors that pays Graham an annual salary equivalent to that of a community pastor. The first year it amounted to $15, 000. Today, the institute has a cash flow of more than $50 million a year.
His radio program, Hour of Decision, began in 1950, and he wrote a daily newspaper column. Graham's published writings include Calling Youth to Christ (1947), Revival in Our Times (1950), America's Hour of Decision (1951), Korean Diary (1953), My Answer (1960), and World Aflame (1965). Graham turns over all the royalties from his books and all his speaking fees. Graham launched his worldwide ministry with his first overseas tour in 1954 to Great Britain. Crowds of more than two million people attended his rallies. He even met with Queen Elizabeth II. At a 16-week rally in New York City three years later, more than two million packed Madison Square Gardens to hear the young preacher. Graham has preached the Gospel to more people in live audiences than anyone else in history totaling more than 210 million people in more than 185 countries and territories. Since his crusades began his work has propelled him to more than 400 rallies in nearly every corner of the world. He conducts an average of six crusades a year in the United States and abroad. In the mid-1950 Graham took his crusade to India, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines. He has also been to Rio de Janeiro, Nairobi, Seoul, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, filling jam-packed churches and meeting with government and religious leaders wherever he travels.
Graham has been friends with many world figures, especially the presidents starting with Harry Truman who sought advice from Graham and Richard Nixon was a frequent golf partner. On April 9, 1996, together with President William Clinton, he led 12, 000 mourners in Oklahoma City to grieve for victims of the Federal Building bombing. Graham has been the chaplain at many Inaugural Ceremonies.
He now runs two world relief organizations, and has done some preaching.
Graham, in his age, shows no sign of slowing down regardless of his advancing illness, Parkinson's disease. It will eventually take away his ability to feed himself or even button his clothes. He walks with difficulty now and can write only his name, but he still has enough energy to work on his memoirs.
