John Mott

John Raleigh Mott (May 25, 1865 – January 31, 1955) was an American evangelist. He was an important leader of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) and the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF). He worked to help students from different places live together peacefully. For his work, he was given the Nobel Peace Prize in 1946, sharing it with Emily Greene Balch.

Mott was the General Secretary of the WSCF from 1895 to 1920. He helped start groups like the World Council of Churches in 1948. He was made an honorary President for life of this group. One of his books, The Evangelization of the World in this Generation, inspired many people. His work helped bring people together for peace and understanding.

Biography

John Mott was born on May 25, 1865, in Livingston Manor, Sullivan County, New York. His family moved to Postville, Iowa. He studied history at Upper Iowa University and later earned a bachelor's degree from Cornell University in 1888.

In 1910, Mott helped lead a big meeting for Christian missionaries from around the world. He also chose not to travel on the famous ship Titanic, picking a different ship instead. Later, he traveled across Asia, holding many meetings to bring different Christian groups together. He worked hard to support peace and friendship among people of different religions.

Personal life and legacy

John Mott married twice. His first wife was Leila Ada White, and they had four children. After Leila passed away in 1952, he married Agnes Peter in 1953. John Mott passed away in 1955 in Orlando, Florida at the age of 89 and was buried in Washington National Cathedral. His papers are kept at the Yale Divinity School Library.

Veneration

In 2022, John Raleigh Mott was added to special days celebrated by the Episcopal Church liturgical calendar on October 3.

A high school in Postville, Iowa, part of the Postville Community School District, is named in his honor.

Writings

John Mott wrote books about sharing good news and working together. His books include The Evangelization of the World in This Generation from 1900 and The Decisive Hour of Christian Missions from 1910. He also wrote about helping others, like in his book World Student Christian Federation from 1920 and Cooperation and the World Mission from 1935. His later books talked about bringing people together for important causes.