Sylvester Graham

The Reverend Sylvester Graham (July 5, 1794 - September 11, 1851) was an American Presbyterian minister and dietary reformer known for his emphasis on vegetarianism, the temperance movement, and eating whole-grain bread. His preaching inspired the graham flour, graham bread, and graham cracker products. Graham has been called the "Father of Vegetarianism" in the United States of America. Graham was born in 1794 in Suffield, Connecticut, to a family with 17 children; his father was 70 years old when Graham was born and his mother was mentally ill. His father died when Graham was two, and he spent his childhood moving from one relative's home to another. One of his relatives ran a tavern where Graham was put to work; his experience with drunkenness there led him to hate alcohol his whole life and forswear drinking, which made him an exception among his peers at the time. He was often sick, and missed a great deal of schooling. He worked as a farm hand, cleaner, and teacher before deciding on the ministry as an antidote for his poor health. He entered preparatory school at Amherst Academy in his late 20s to become a minister, as his father and grandfather had been. Here, his gift for oratory was recognized. He was expelled from the academy when his schoolmates claimed he had improperly approached a woman. (Note that he did not attend Amherst College). The expulsion caused Graham a nervous breakdown. To recover, he moved to Little Compton, Rhode Island. There, he met and married Sarah Earle, who had nursed him back to health. He studied theology privately, and in 1828, began working as an itinerant preacher at the Bound Brook Presbyterian Church in Bound Brook, New Jersey.