George Avery Lee Sr. (1916 – 2008 December 23 in

Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, fifth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the county seat, parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles (Louisiana), Lake Char ...

) was a

Southern Baptist The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestantism in the United States, Pr ...

and from 2001 onward, an American Baptist preacher. A graduate of Hardin-Simmons University (baccalaureate degree, 1958) and

Yale Divinity School Yale Divinity School (YDS) is one of the twelve graduate and professional schools of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Congregationalist theological education was the motivation at the founding of Yale, and the professional school has ...

(Master of Divinity), he served ministries in

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

and

Hattiesburg, Mississippi Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County, Mississippi, Forrest County (where it is the county seat and most populous city) and extending west into Lamar County, Mississippi, Lamar County. The ci ...

, but for most of his ministerial career, he was associated with

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

' Saint Charles Avenue Baptist Church. He was known for supporting the expansion of civil rights and his active involvement in the New Orleans Federation of Churches. Lee was married twice, his first wife, Ann Rader Lee, dying in 1973; his second wife, Gladys Salassi Lee, died in 2002. He had three children: sons George Avery Lee Jr. and Gregory Lee and daughter Jeni-Su Lee Lacoste. Lee Sr. wrote 16 books in addition to numerous articles, Bible lessons, and devotionals. He retired from the ministry in 2005 at age 89. When

Newt Gingrich Newton Leroy Gingrich (; né McPherson; born June 17, 1943) is an American politician and author who served as the List of speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 50th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1 ...

was attending graduate school at

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

of Louisiana in New Orleans, he attended St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church, and was baptized by immersion by G. Avery Lee. Later, after Gingrich began his political career, Lee joked that some had suggested he "didn't hold him under long enough."

Notes

Bibliography

* 1916 births 2008 deaths Baptists from Mississippi Hardin–Simmons University alumni People from Hattiesburg, Mississippi Writers from Lake Charles, Louisiana Writers from New Orleans Yale Divinity School alumni Baptists from Louisiana 20th-century Baptists {{US-writer-stub