Origins & Early Life

Jerry Laymon Falwell (August 11, 1933 – May 15, 2007) was an American Baptist pastor, televangelist, and politically conservative activist. He was the founding pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, a megachurch in Lynchburg, Virginia. He founded Lynchburg Christian Academy, later renamed Liberty Christian Academy, in 1967, founded Liberty University in 1971, and co-founded the Moral Majority in 1979. Falwell and his twin brother Gene were born in the Fairview Heights area of Lynchburg, Virginia, on August 11, 1933, the sons of Helen Virginia (née Beasley) and Carey Hezekiah Falwell.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

His father was an entrepreneur and one-time bootlegger who was agnostic. His father shot and killed his brother Garland and died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1948 at the age of 55. His paternal grandfather was a staunch atheist. Jerry Falwell was a member of a group in Fairview Heights known to the police as "the Wall Gang" because they sat on a low concrete wall at the Pickeral Café. Falwell met Macel Pate on his first visit to Park Avenue Baptist Church in 1949; Macel was a pianist there.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

They married on April 12, 1958. The couple had two sons, Jerry Jr. (a lawyer who...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

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• Albert Bassermann — Shared historical date (05-15 · Died) (1952): Esteemed German stage and screen actor, celebrated for his dramatic versatility.
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• 1933 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1933
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