Horatio Gates Spafford
1828 - 1888
Presbyterian
Biography
Horatio Gates Spafford was an American lawyer, businessman, Presbyterian elder, Sunday-school teacher, and hymn writer. Born in Troy, New York, he moved to Chicago in 1856 and developed a prominent legal practice while investing heavily in real estate. He supported the Chicago YMCA, served as a trustee and benefactor of the Presbyterian Theological Seminary of the Northwest, and belonged to the evangelical circle that included Dwight L. Moody and Ira D. Sankey.
The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed major portions of Spafford’s property investments and his law office. An even greater tragedy came in November 1873, when the steamship Ville du Havre was struck in the Atlantic and sank within minutes. Spafford’s wife, Anna, survived, but their four daughters died. It Is Well with My Soul became closely associated with this loss, although surviving accounts disagree about exactly when and where he wrote it.
After another young son died in 1880, the Spaffords’ religious life moved in increasingly independent directions. In 1881 they led a small group from Chicago to Jerusalem and founded the community later known as the American Colony, whose members became known for charitable work among Jerusalem’s Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities.
The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed major portions of Spafford’s property investments and his law office. An even greater tragedy came in November 1873, when the steamship Ville du Havre was struck in the Atlantic and sank within minutes. Spafford’s wife, Anna, survived, but their four daughters died. It Is Well with My Soul became closely associated with this loss, although surviving accounts disagree about exactly when and where he wrote it.
After another young son died in 1880, the Spaffords’ religious life moved in increasingly independent directions. In 1881 they led a small group from Chicago to Jerusalem and founded the community later known as the American Colony, whose members became known for charitable work among Jerusalem’s Muslim, Jewish, and Christian communities.
Hymns by Horatio Gates Spafford
It Is Well with My Soul
Role: Lyricist