The following biography is a compilation of material originally published on the websites of beleiversweb.org and the Ed Reese Biography:

Harry A. Ironside ( 1876-1951) was one of the greatest Bible teachers the world has ever known. For some 50 years he went up and down America teaching and preaching the Word of God. He was the ultimate in his field. Coupled with this was his successful ministry as pastor of Moody Church from 1930 to 1948 which made him the most known Christian leader of his era, outside of Billy Sunday whose funeral he preached.

His birth was almost a casualty. The child was thought to be dead, so attention was given to the dangerously ill mother. Forty minutes later a nurse detected a pulse beat and at the doctor's order put the baby in a hot bath which soon produced a demonstration of his vocal chords.

At the age of 12, Harry A. Ironside heard Dwight L. Moody preach, but he did not receive Christ until two years later. His own words were, "I rested on the Word of God and confessed Christ as my Saviour." From that moment on, the Word of God seemed to be like a burning fire in his bones, and he gave his first public testimony three nights later at a Salvation Army meeting. Shortly afterwards, he began preaching and became known as "the boy preacher of Los Angeles."        

Although he had little formal education, his tremendous mental capacity and photographic memory caused him to be called "the Archbishop of Fundamentalism." A prolific writer, he contributed regularly to various religious periodicals and journals in addition to publishing over 80 books and pamphlets. His writings included addresses or commentaries on the entire New Testament, all of the prophetic books of the Old Testament, and a great many volumes on specific Bible themes and subjects.        

For 18 of his 50 years of ministry, he was pastor of the Moody Memorial Church in Chicago. He went to be with the Lord on January 16, 1951, while on a preaching tour in New Zealand.