Augusta E. Stetson (1842-1928) was born in Waldboro, Maine, and died in Rochester, New York. She was a student of Mary Baker Eddy's, completing Primary (1884) and Normal (1886) classes. Stetson also attended Eddy's last Primary class at the Massachusetts Metaphysical College in February 1889. Stetson was an active member of the Christian Scientist Association and Church of Christ (Scientist). She was listed as a Christian Science practitioner and teacher in the directory of The Christian Science Journal from 1885 until 1909. She played an instrumental role in the founding of First Church of Christ, Scientist, New York City, and was ordained its pastor in October 1890. She was one of the First Members of The Mother Church, later known as "Executive Members," who was one of twenty elected to join the original twelve members of the church when it was formed on September 23, 1892. Following her excommunication from its membership in November 1909, she started an organization called the New York City Christian Science Institute, falsely proclaiming herself and her students as successors of the Christian Science movement. Finally in 1926, she embarked on a career as a radio broadcaster at WHAP in New York, a white supremacist radio station owned by the church she founded, Defenders of Truth. The station was decried as a public nuisance for its attacks on Jews and Catholics. After two years, Stetson ended her radio appearances and passed a few months later.

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