Norman Vincent Peale (May 31, 1898 - December 24, 1993) was a Christian preacher and author (most notably of The Power of Positive Thinking) and a progenitor of the theory of "positive thinking".
Peale was born in Bowersville, Ohio and died in Pawling, New York. He was educated at Ohio Wesleyan University, and Boston University.
Raised as a Methodist and originally ordained as a Methodist minister in 1922, Peale changed his religious affiliation to the Reformed Church in America in 1932, and began a 52-year tenure as pastor of Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan. During that time the church's membership grew from 600 to over 5,000, and he became one of New York City's most famous preachers.
In 1945, Dr. Peale, his wife, Ruth Stafford Peale, and Raymond Thornburg, a Pawling, New York businessman founded Guideposts Magazine, a non-denominational forum for celebrities and ordinary people to relate inspirational stories. For its launch, they raised $1,200 from Frank Gannett, founder of the Gannett newspaper chain, J. Howard Pew, a Philadelphia industrialist and Branch Rickey, owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Though he wrote much -- including 46 "inspirational" books -- The Power of Positive Thinking remains by far his most widely read work. First published in 1952, stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for 186 consecutive weeks, it has sold around 20 million copies and translated into 41 different languages. Some of his other best known works include The Art of Living, A Guide to Confident Living, The Tough-Minded Optimist, and Inspiring Messages for Daily Living.
For 54 years (from 1935 to 1989), Peale also hosted a weekly radio program -- The Art of Living. Furthermore, it has been claimed that his sermons were mailed to around 750,000 people a month. He was also the subject of a 1964 film -- One Man's Way.
In 1947, Peale co-founded -- with educator Kenneth Beebe -- “The Horatio Alger Association.” This organization aims to recognize and honor Americans who have been successful in spite of difficult circumstances they have faced.
Other organizations founded by Peale include the Peale Center, the Positive Thinking Foundation and Guideposts Publications, all of which aim to promote Peale's theories about positive thinking.
For his contributions to the field of theology, President Ronald Reagan awarded Peale the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the highest civilian honor in the United States) on March 26, 1984.
Peale was also confessed to be a freemason (33°) .
