Born in New Haven, Connecticut, on October 12, 1775, Lyman Beecher was a Presbyterian minister who co-founded the American Temperance Society in 1826 and is often credited as one of the driving forces behind the Second Great Awakening in the early part of the 19th century.
In addition to his own achievements, Beecher fathered 13 children, several of whom had significant careers, including Harriet Beecher Stowe and Henry Ward Beecher.