Charles Fillmore

Born August 22, 1854, on an Indian reservation near St. Cloud, Minnesota, Charles Fillmore spent much of his early life unsuccessfully speculating on real estate and traveling the country seeking a cure for his wife Myrtles tuberculosis before cofounding the New Thought based Unity movement with her in 1889. Their popular magazine, Unity, was first published in 1891. The Unity movement eventually oversaw multiple magazines and ran the town Unity Village in Lees Summit, Missouri. Fillmore died July 5, 1948. He became known as an American mystic for his contributions to metaphysical interpretations of Biblical scripture In 1886, Charles and Myrtle attended New Thought classes held by Dr.E.B. Weeks. His wife, Myrtle, recovered from chronic tuberculosis, which she attributed to her use of prayer and other methods learned in Weeks' classes. Subsequently, Charles began to heal from his childhood accident, a development which he too attributed to following this philosophy. Charles Fillmore became a devoted student of philosophy and religion.In 1889, Charles left his business to focus entirely on a prayer group that would later be called 'Silent Unity'. It was named this because of a legal conflict with Mary Baker Eddy over the use of the title Christian Science. That same year he began publication of a new periodical, 'Modern Thought', notable among other things as the first publication to accept for publication the writings of the then 27-year-old New Thought pioneer William Walker Atkinson. In 1891, Fillmore's 'Unity' magazine was first published. Dr. H. Emilie Cady published 'Lessons in Truth' in the new magazine. This material later was compiled and published in a book by the same name, which served as a seminal work of the Unity Church. Although Charles had no intention of making Unity into a denomination, his students wanted a more organized group. He and his wife were among the first ordained Unity ministers in 1906. Charles and Myrtle Fillmore operated the Unity organization from a campus near downtown Kansas City.
Myrtle Fillmore died in 1931. Charles remarried in 1933 to Cora G. Dedrick; she was a collaborator on his writings in his later years. Fillmore trained many disciples, including the Unity teacher Rev. Dr. Cronley. Charles Fillmore died in 1948, but the Unity School and Association of Unity Churches (founded as the Unity Ministers Association in 1934) continued after his death and grew into a worldwide movement.
In 1889, Charles left his business to focus entirely on a prayer group that would later be called 'Silent Unity'. It was named this because of a legal conflict with Mary Baker Eddy over the use of the title Christian Science. That same year he began publication of a new periodical, 'Modern Thought', notable among other things as the first publication to accept for publication the writings of the then 27-year-old New Thought pioneer William Walker Atkinson. In 1891, Fillmore's 'Unity' magazine was first published. Dr. H. Emilie Cady published 'Lessons in Truth' in the new magazine. This material later was compiled and published in a book by the same name, which served as a seminal work of the Unity Church. Although Charles had no intention of making Unity into a denomination, his students wanted a more organized group. He and his wife were among the first ordained Unity ministers in 1906. Charles and Myrtle Fillmore operated the Unity organization from a campus near downtown Kansas City.
Myrtle Fillmore died in 1931. Charles remarried in 1933 to Cora G. Dedrick; she was a collaborator on his writings in his later years. Fillmore trained many disciples, including the Unity teacher Rev. Dr. Cronley. Charles Fillmore died in 1948, but the Unity School and Association of Unity Churches (founded as the Unity Ministers Association in 1934) continued after his death and grew into a worldwide movement. Charles Fillmore is one of the legendary figures of the New Thought movement, bringing the philosophy to hundreds of thousands of everyday men and women through his nationwide Unity ministry and its popular community, Unity Village, in Missouri. Today, thousands of families continue to participate in Unity programs and recognize Fillmore as a beloved mentor.