George E. Ricker (1842-1926) was born in Topsham, Maine, and died in Wethersfield, Connecticut. He was a student of Mary Baker Eddy's, completing the Primary (1885) and Normal (1886) classes. He joined the Christian Scientist Association in May 1886 and appears to have left the Christian Science movement in 1888. After leaving, he devised his own mental healing system and established a New Thought church with Emma Gray, another student of Eddy's. Ricker's organization, based in Washington, D.C., operated under several names: The National Institute of Practical Christianity, The National New Thought Center, and The National Center of Christ Healing and Christ Service.

See more letters.