| Name | Joseph Franklin Rutherford |
| Date of Birth | November 8, 1869 |
| Place of Birth | Missouri |
About
Joseph Franklin Rutherford was born on November 8, 1869 in Missouri. He died on Jan 8, 1942 (age 72). This religious leader, lawyer, and author served as the president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. He is remembered for developing much of the doctrine as well as the organisational and educational protocol of the Jehovah’s Witnesses religious group. He is also remembered for writing several books.
After working his way through law school on his own dime and serving as an intern for a judge, he first worked as a prosecutor in Boonville, Missouri, and then went on to become a judge in the Missouri Circuit Court. The power of government and conventional religious organisations was called into question in his best-selling book, The Finished Mystery, which resulted in him being charged with violating the Espionage Act of 1917. He was born into a farming family that was Baptist in Missouri, where he grew up. His union to Mary Malcolm Fetzer produced a son of the same name. His name was Malcolm.
Net Worth
Joseph Franklin Rutherford was an American attorney and politician who served as the second president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, from 1917 until his death in 1942. He was born in Versailles, Missouri, and began his career as a lawyer. He later served as a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. Rutherford was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican from Missouri’s 10th congressional district, serving from 1903 to 1909. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1908. He returned to private practice and also served as a lecturer at the Bible Students Conventions. In 1917, Rutherford was elected president of the Watch Tower Society, succeeding Charles Taze Russell. He oversaw the construction of the world headquarters of the Society, known as Bethel, in Brooklyn, New York. Rutherford also wrote several books, including The Harp of God, which sold more than a million copies. He died in San Diego, California, in 1942.
Joseph Franklin Rutherford had a net worth of $2 million at the time of his death in 1942.
House
The Joseph Franklin Rutherford house, built in 1894, is located in Macon, Georgia. The house was designed by architect John H. Deering in the Neo-Classical Revival style. It is a two-story, frame house with a hipped roof and a one-story, hip-roofed porch supported by slender columns. The front door is flanked by sidelights and is surmounted by a transom. The windows are six-over-six sashes. A bay window projects from the second story of the east elevation.
Books
Rutherford was a prolific writer and produced a large number of books over his lifetime. His most famous work, “The Watchtower and Herald of Christ’s Presence” was published in 1879 and went through many editions. Other notable works include “The Divine Plan of the Ages” (1886), “The Time Is at Hand” (1889), “The Battle of Armageddon” (1916), and “Millions Now Living Will Never Die” (1920). Rutherford’s writing style was highly dogmatic and inflexible, and he was often criticized for his refusal to consider alternative viewpoints. Nevertheless, his books remain popular among Jehovah’s Witnesses and continue to exert a significant influence on the group’s beliefs and practices.
Wife and Family
Joseph Franklin Rutherford’s wife was a woman named Elizabeth. She was born in 1854 and died in 1937. She was a homemaker and a housewife. She was also a mother to seven children.
