Religious Figure. He was a 19th century American Gospel singer and composer. A prolific hymnist, he was known as the "Sweet Singer of Methodism." He composed or arranged nearly 2,000 hymns during his lifetime, most notably "The Ninety and Nine," "Take Me as I Am," "How Can I Keep from Singing," and "A Shelter in the Time of Storm." Born Ira David Sankey, his father was a banker, editor, Federal Internal Revenue Collector, and had served in the Pennsylvania State Senate. He had excellent educational opportunities but did not receive formal musical education. He converted to Methodism at the age of 16 in a revival meeting near his home. He became active in the Jefferson Street Methodist Episcopal Church in New Castle, including teaching Sunday School, playing the organ and singing solos. At the start of the American Civil War in 1861, he enlisted in the 22nd Pennsylvania Regiment and was sent to Maryland, where he assisted his unit's chaplain with duties, including leading singing. On September 9, 1863, he married a member of his church's choir, Fanny V. Edwards, the daughter of Honorable John Edwards, a member of the State Senate. The couple had three sons. After the war, he was employed by the Federal Internal Revenue Service, while working with the Young Men's Christian Association or the YMCA and traveling to surrounding churches to sing. Although most of his musical education was considered "on-the-job-training", he received formal choir director training. At a YMCA convention in Indianapolis, Indiana in June of 1870, he met evangelist D. L. Moody and after resigning from his IRS position, he partnered with Moody's crusade. On Sunday, October 8, 1871, he was singing at Moody's church when the Great Chicago Fire destroyed the city as well as Moody's church and home. By rowing in a boat onto Lake Michigan, he, Moody and others escaped the raging fire. The church was rebuilt within three months at a nearby location as the Chicago Avenue Church but years later, Moody's Church. In June of 1873, he and Moody traveled to England for the first time where he led singing and performed solos, while Moody delivered hundreds of sermons to thousands of people not only in England, but Ireland and Scotland. While in Edinburgh, he adapted an improvised melody for the words of Elizabeth C. Clephane's poem about the Biblical parable of one lost sheep, "The Ninety and Nine," and sang the five-stanza hymn as a spirit-filled solo during a sermon. Throughout his career he relied heavily on the poems of other writers to be put to his music, yet on occasion wrote his own lyrics along with the music. He wrote the lyrics for "Out of the Shadow-Land, which was composed for D. L. Moody's funeral in 1899 and were Sankey's last lyrics. In 1884, during his and Moody's second visit to England, they met Ada Habershon, who would eventually author at least 17 books on the Christian faith and wrote hundreds of hymns, including the classic 1907 hymn "Will the Circle be Unbroken?" With their encouragement, Habershon came to the United State to give religious lectures, which were later published. From 1895 to 1908, he served as president of the largest publishing house of church music, Biglow & Main Publishing Company in New York City. Although his first published hymnal "Sacred Songs and Solos" was in England with several editions, he compiled his songs in hymnals and published more than 50,000,000 copies in the United States. In the religious world he was most noted as the author of the 1895 Sankey's "Gospel Hymns." Other collection of hymns includes "Welcome Tidings: A New Collection of Sacred Songs for the Sunday School" in 1877 and "Gems of Songs for the Sunday School" in 1901. His hymns have been translated in many languages and sung worldwide. In 1891 he attempted to make a third Great Britain revival tour, with him singing and preaching, but after successfully reaching 99 towns, his health declined, and he returned home. According to his "New York Times" obituary, he became blind the last five years of his life from a complication of glaucoma, yet he continued to compose hymns until a few days before his death. In 1902 he changed from the Methodist church to the nearby Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church, where his funeral was held. Sankey did publish an autobiographical sketch as well as he has several published biographies by other authors. In 1980 the Gospel Music Association recognized his many contributions to gospel music by inducting him in the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. He has a memorial stained glass window portraying the hymn "The Ninety and Nine" at the First Methodist Church of New Castle, Pennsylvania.