Russell, Charles Taze (1852–1916)

US founder of the Jehovah's Witness sect in 1872.

Born in Pittsburgh, Russell, a successful businessman, began studying the Bible after encountering some Adventists and becoming convinced that Christ's return was imminent. On the basis of his studies he came to believe that Christ's ‘invisible return’ had taken place in 1874 and that in 1914 a series of apocalyptic events would culminate in Christ's thousand-year reign on Earth. In 1879 he founded the journal that became The Watchtower, which spread his ideas. The movement under his leadership survived the failure of his prophecies in 1914, and it continued to grow rapidly after his death.