White, Ellen Gould

White, Ellen Gould (b. Harmon) (1827–1915) religious leader; born in Gorham, Mo. A fragile, nervous child, she was tutored at home but had no formal education. She converted to Adventism after hearing William Miller preach (1842); when the Second Coming of Christ failed to take place as predicted, in 1844 the Millerites faded, but she almost singlehandedly—and then with her husband James White (1821–81)—kept the Adventist movement alive by traveling and preaching. During her life she claimed to have experienced 2,000 visions and prophetic dreams. She became head of the Seventh Day Adventist Church when it was formally established in 1863, and one of her religious books, Steps to Christ, has by now sold more than 20 million copies. Settling in Battle Creek, Mich. (1855), she also grew dedicated to a healthy diet and hydrotherapy, and in 1861 helped open the Western Health Reform Institute there. She helped found Battle Creek College (1874), the first U.S. Adventist educational institution, and in 1904 cofounded the College of Medical Evangelists in California. From 1891 to 1900 she lived in Australia as a missionary.