Ingersoll, << IHNG gur sawl, >> Robert Green (1833-1899), was an American lawyer, politician, lecturer, and writer. He was a center of controversy for almost 30 years because he attacked traditional Christian beliefs. He lectured on his creed of agnosticism, the belief that the existence of God cannot be known with certainty. His best-known lectures included “Some Mistakes of Moses” (1879), “Why I Am an Agnostic” (1896), and “Superstition” (1898).
Ingersoll was born on Aug. 11, 1833, in Dresden, New York. As a boy, he moved with his family to Ohio, to Wisconsin, and then to Illinois. He studied law with his older brother and was admitted to the bar in Illinois in 1854.
Ingersoll served as a colonel in the 11th Illinois Cavalry during the American Civil War (1861-1865). He had entered politics as a Democrat but became a prominent Republican after the Civil War. In 1867, he was appointed attorney general of Illinois, and he served through 1869. He won fame for a speech proposing James G. Blaine as the presidential nominee at the 1876 Republican National Convention. Ingersoll died on July 21, 1899.
