Elbert Hubbard

Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) was an influential American writer, publisher, and philosopher. He is best known for his essay "A Message to Garcia," published in 1899, which became a celebrated piece of literature for its message on initiative and duty. In 1895, Hubbard founded the Roycroft artisan community in East Aurora, New York, which became a center for the Arts and Crafts movement in the United States. Besides his prolific writing, Hubbard published and edited "The Philistine," a magazine that offered critiques of contemporary society and culture. He and his wife, Alice Moore Hubbard, tragically perished in the sinking of the RMS Lusitania on May 7, 1915.