Kirby James Hensley | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1911-07-23)July 23, 1911 |
| Died | March 19, 1999(1999-03-19) (aged 87) |
| Occupations | President and founder ofUniversal Life Church |
| Years active | 1962–1999 |
Kirby James Hensley (July 23, 1911 – March 19, 1999) was an American minister. He was the president and founder of theUniversal Life Church.
The second of seven children, Hensley was born on July 23, 1911, in the mountains of Low Gap,Yancey County,North Carolina. For more than 65 years he studied and preachedreligion throughout theUnited States. He wasfunctionally illiterate;[1] he hired others to read theBible for him and later listened to recordings of the Bible on tape.[2] Hensley "studied and preached religion" in this manner for 65 years.[3]
Hensley received a doctoral degree (via mail) from an institution named Hollywood University of Los Angeles, then an honorary doctorate in a domain ofscience from a school in Nebraska.[4]
He was ordained in a branch of theBaptist Church, but after several years he left the denomination and attended thePentecostal churches in the area. He married his first wife Nora in a Pentecostal church ceremony; they had two daughters together. He also pastored inOklahoma andCalifornia.
Hensley later divorced Nora and moved back to North Carolina, where he met his second wife, Lida. During their forty-six-year marriage, they had one daughter and two sons.
In the mid-1980s, Hensley called himself the King of Aqualandia and sold citizenship documents, as well as church ordinations, for $35.[5] He ran forPresident of the United States as the Universal Party's candidate in 1964 and 1968, with Roscoe MacKenna as his running mate.
Hensley founded theUniversal Life Church in 1962. He remained president of the church until his death on March 19, 1999. He compiled many sermons and once appeared on60 Minutes (also available in printed version — final highlight on page 24, still withMorley Safer, who concludes: "I certainly liked him. He was a wonderful character.").[6]
| Non-profit organization positions | ||
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| Preceded by Office created | President of theUniversal Life Church 1962–1999 | Succeeded by |