Samuel Porter Jones
1847 – 1906

Sam Jones was born at Oak Bowery, Alabama and grew up in Cartersville, Georgia. He studied to be a lawyer, but drinking and gambling soon brought him to the brink of ruin. Beside his father’s deathbed, he repented of his sin and trusted Christ. He preached his first sermon one week later and was licensed to preach in the Methodist church after only three months in the ministry.

He served several pastorates, but gained his reputation as a lecturer and evanglist. He conducted campaigns in some of America’s largest cities; as a result, everywhere he preached liquor stores closed, theaters closed, jails were emptied, and cursing was reduced to whispers.

The famed Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee was built by a wealthy businessman to house a Sam Jones meeting.

His life was threatened on several occasions, but none deterred his strong preaching. He died enroute to an evangelistic meeting in Oklahoma. Much of the wit of Will Rogers can be traced to that of Sam Jones. Well over five-hundred thousand people converted to Christ as a result of his ministry.