Russell Herman Conwell (February 15, 1843 – December 6, 1925) was an American minister, lecturer, attorney, and author remembered as founder of Temple University for his inspirational lecture Acres of Diamonds.  He was born in western Massachusetts and attended Wilbraham Wesleyan Academy and Yale University, leaving Yale in 1862 to serve in the Union Army. He commanded the 46^th Massachusetts regiment during his first tour of duty in North Carolina. He sustained a shoulder wound, re-enlisted and sustained serious injury during the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, retiring from the service a second time in 1864. After the war he studied law and worked as an attorney, journalist and lecturer, and published numerous books, including campaign biographies of U.S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, and James A. Garfield. He was called to the ministry and ordained a Baptist minister in 1880 and led a congregation in Lexington, Massachusetts before joining the Grace Baptist Church in Philadelphia in 1882. His work with youth groups led to his founding of Temple University, where he served as first president and today enrolls over 37,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. His lecture “Acres of Diamonds” was inspired by a story heard from an Arab guide in the Middle East and is considered a classic of the New Thought movement of the 19^th century, which promotes the ubiquity and infinite intelligence of the divinity. Conwell delivered the lecture over 6,000 times on the Chautauqua circuit, making it the most popular of the time and providing the funds to support Temple University, the Samaritan Hospital and other endeavors.