James Robinson Graves

Who was James Robinson Graves?

James Robinson Graves was a US Baptist preacher, publisher, evangelist, debater, author, and editor. He was born in Chester, Vermont, the son of Z. C. Graves, and died in Memphis, Tennessee. His remains are interred in Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis.

Though raised in a Congregational background, he joined a Baptist church at age 15. He is recognized as one of the most influential men in the Southern Baptist Convention in the 19th century, and the chief promulgator of the Landmark movement. Graves was one of the Convention's most gifted speakers. Thomas Treadwell Eaton wrote, "We have seen him hold a congregation packed uncomfortably, for three hours and a half without any sign of weariness on their part. This was not done once or twice, but scores of times." Denominational leader J. B. Gambrell described one of Graves' sermons at a small church in Mississippi as "The Greatest Sermon I Ever Heard."