Peter Cartwright (revivalist)

Peter Cartwright
A man with tossled, graying hair wearing a black tie and jacket, white shirt, and spectacles on top of his head
American Methodist, revivalist, preacher, Peter Cartwright
Born
Peter Cartwright, Jr.

(1785-09-01)September 1, 1785
DiedSeptember 25, 1872(1872-09-25) (aged 87)
Resting placePleasant Plains Cemetery
NationalityAmerican
Other namesUncle Peter, Backwoods Preacher, Lord's Plowman, Lord's Breaking-Plow, The Kentucky Boy
Occupations
Known forbeing a revivalist missionary, who helped start America's Second Great Awakening, personally baptizing twelve thousand converts and the author of Autobiography of Peter Cartwright: The Backwoods Preacher
SpouseFrances Gaines
Parent(s)Peter Cartwright, Sr.

Peter Cartwright, (born Peter Cartwright Jr.), also known as "Uncle Peter", "Backwoods Preacher", "Lord's Plowman", "Lord's Breaking-Plow", and "The Kentucky Boy" (September 1, 1785 – September 25, 1872), was an American Methodist, revivalist, preacher, in the Midwest, as well as twice an elected legislator in Illinois. Cartwright, a Methodist missionary, helped start America's Second Great Awakening, personally baptizing twelve thousand converts. Opposed to slavery, Cartwright moved from Kentucky to Illinois, and was elected to the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly in 1828 and 1832. In 1846 Abraham Lincoln defeated Cartwright for a seat in the United States Congress. As a Methodist circuit rider, Cartwright rode circuits in Kentucky and Illinois, as well as Tennessee, Indiana and Ohio. His Autobiography (1856) made him nationally prominent.