Pastor Norman Vincent Peale

Peale was born in Bowersville, Ohio and died in Pawling, New York. He studied at Ohio Wesleyan University and Boston University Theological School.

Peale was raised as a Methodist and originally ordained a Methodist minister in 1922, but in 1932 he changed his affiliation to the Reformed Church in America and began his 52-year tenure as a Marble Collegiate Church minister in Manhattan. At that time, his church membership grew from 600 to more than 5,000, and he became one of the most famous preachers in New York City.

Peale started a radio program, "The Art of Living," in 1935, which lasted for 54 years. With the sponsorship of the National Council of Churches, he moved to television when the new medium emerged. At the same time he began editing "Guideposts" magazines and writing books. It is estimated that his sermons are sent by mail to about 750,000 people each month.

In 1945, Dr. Peale, his wife, Ruth Stafford Peale, and Raymond Thornburg, a Pawling businessman, New York founded Guideposts magazine, a non-denominational forum for celebrities and ordinary people to deliver inspiring stories. For the launch, they raised US $ 1,200 from Frank Gannett, founder of the Gannett newspaper chain, J. Howard Pew, a Philadelphia industrialist and Branch Rickey, owner of Brooklyn Dodgers.

Peale is a prolific writer; The Power of Positive Thinking is his most widely read. The book first came out in 1952, and topped the New York Times bestseller list for 186 consecutive weeks. The book has sold about 7 million copies (amazon.com) and is translated into 41 languages. Some of his other popular works include The Art of Living, A Guide to Confident Living, The Tough-Minded Optimist, and Inspiring Messages for Daily Living.

In 1947 Peale, along with educator Kenneth Beebe, founded The Horatio Alger Association. The organization aims to recognize and honor successful Americans even when they are facing difficulties.

Other organizations founded by Peale are the Peale Center, Positive Thinking Foundation and Guideposts Publications, all of which are intended to promote Peale's theories of positive thinking.

For his contributions to theology, President Ronald Reagan awarded the Peale President Independence Medal (highest civilian honor in the United States) on March 26, 1984. Peale died of a stroke on December 24, 1993, at the age of 95.