Origins & Early Life

James Orsen Bakker (; January 2, 1940 – October 5, 2026) was an American televangelist and convicted felon. Between 1974 and 1987, Bakker hosted the television program The PTL Club and its cable television platform, the PTL Satellite Network, with his then wife, Tammy Faye. He also developed Heritage USA, a now-defunct Christian theme park in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Bakker was born in Muskegon, Michigan, and attended North Central University in Minneapolis, where he met Tammy Faye LaValley.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

The two married in 1961, left college, and became itinerant evangelists, eventually having two children. In the late 1980s, Bakker resigned from the PTL ministry over a cover-up of hush money to church secretary Jessica Hahn for an alleged rape. Subsequent revelations of accounting fraud brought about felony charges, conviction, imprisonment. Convicted of fraud and conspiracy in 1989, he served nearly five years in prison before being paroled in 1994. Bakker later remarried and returned to televangelism, founding Morningside Church in Blue Eye, Missouri, and reestablishing the PTL ministry.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

After being divorced by Tammy Faye in 1992, Bakker married Lori Beth Graham in 1998, and together they adopted...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Abbas Kiarostami — Contemporary (Born in 1940) (1940): Master Iranian filmmaker known for blending fiction and documentary styles.
• Al Pacino — Contemporary (Born in 1940) (1940): Intense American actor celebrated for his powerful stage and screen performances.
• Alan Kay — Contemporary (Born in 1940) (1940): Pioneer of GUI, Object-Oriented Programming, and modern computing paradigms.
• Biruté Galdikas — Contemporary (Died in 2026) (2026): Pioneering primatologist and conservationist, renowned for her work with orangutans.
• Bob Pettit — Contemporary (Died in 2026) (2026): NBA star and coach, known for his dominance with the Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks.
• Carlo Ginzburg — Contemporary (Died in 2026) (2026): Founding figure of microhistory, renowned Italian historian.
• Barry Goldwater — Shared historical date (01-02 · Born) (1909): Conservative Senator and Presidential Nominee who championed modern American conservatism.
• Bryson Tiller — Shared historical date (01-02 · Born) (1993): American R&B singer and rapper known for hits like "Don't" and "Exchange".
• Al-Dhahabi — Shared historical date (10-05 · Born) (1274): Pioneering Syrian Sunni historian, biographer, and hadith scholar.
• Aleksey Khomyakov — Shared historical date (10-05 · Died) (1860): Founding theoretician of the Slavophile movement in Russian philosophy.
• 1940 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1940
• January 2 (01-02) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on January 2
• 2026 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 2026
• October 5 (10-05) On This Day — Historical events and memorials on October 5