History Focus
October 9

Born October 9, 1830 in Ontario, Canada. At her peak in the 1920s, America knew her on a first-name basis. She was the sunny side of salvation, a tall, dramatic woman who drew thousands at a time to see her performances on the joy of pious living. She gave them faith, hope and a good show. She founded the Foursquare Gospel Church.

Aimee Semple McPherson was born Aimee Elizabeth Kennedy on October 9, 1890 in Ontario, Canada. She was raised in a Christian home and her father was the organist and choir director in the local Methodist Church. During the winter months of 1907 - 1908 she made a firm commitment of faith in Christ at storefront meetings held by a handsome Pentecostal evangelist, Robert James Semple. On August 12, 1908, she and Robert were married in a simple Salvation Army ceremony.

She later said that the night Robert Semple proposed to her, as they knelt praying, she saw a vision of a roomful of angels. After their marrage the two left London, Ontario where they pioneered a church. In 1910 Robert and Aimee Semple left for China as missionaries. Soon after arriving Robert contracted malaria and died. After giving birth to their daughter, Roberta Star, on 17 September that same year, Aimee returned to New York City and worked with the Salvation Army. She had a mission to preach.

She met Harold Stewart McPherson and they were married on 24 October, 1911. With the grudging help of her second husband Aimee began staging tent revivals throughout the South. By 1921, thanks largely to press reports about her powers as a healer, she was known around the country. She chose Los Angeles as her home base and in 1923 opened the flashy, $1.5 million Angelus Temple, headquarters for her International Church of Foursquare Gospel.

Aimee's reputation spread far and wide and a large part of her appeal was that she was different. She caused a storm when she became the first woman to wear makeup and jewellery while preaching. She was also known for being dramatic and creative. Hollywood even sent people to check out her stage shows to see what new, theatrical innovations she had come up with. Aimee became the first woman to receive a licence to operate a radio station and in 1924 and preached her first radio sermon from her own station, KFSG. In 1923 she established the Lighthouse for International Foursquare Evangelism to train and send out evangelists and in 1927.

In 1926 she mysteriously disappeared while working on a sermon on a California beach. It was thought that she had drowned. Divers and followers searched for her body without success. As a result of the search one diver and at least one follower died. A month later Sister Aimee's mother received a ransom note demanding $500,000 for her daughter's return. The next day Sister Aimee showed up near Mexico, looking fit despite her claim that she had escaped from abusive kidnappers. Investigators became dubious about her story and began looking into reports that she was spotted around Carmel with a male business associate. Sister Aimee was never formally charged with fabricating the story, but her reputation was badly tarnished.

She kept spreading the Foursquare gospel, but in the 1930s her life started to fall apart. She was married and divorced a third time. She was estranged from her mother and daughter. Her health deteriorated, and in 1944, at the age of 53, she died of an overdose of sleeping pills. An estimated 50,000 mourners came to see her body before she was "promoted to glory."

Sources: On This Day | Microsoft(R) Encarta(R)