Hugh Kerr Downie was born August 9, 1883, in Irvine, Scotland. He was saved at age thirteen, and as a young man served the Lord in the United Kingdom. In 1934, he crossed the Atlantic to preach the Word in Canada and the United States. A Bible school teacher and author, he contributed frequently to many evangelical magazines, evidencing a facile pen and incisive grasp of the Scriptures.