John Leland

John Leland (1754-1841) was a Baptist from Massachusetts. He was inspired by the ministry of Elhanan Winchester. Leland preached throughout Virginia from 1773 to 1790, baptizing over 600 persons. He returned to Massachusetts in 1791 and devoted himself primarily to his writing. He was an outspoken advocate of religious liberty, freedom of conscience, and separation of church and state. He was an admirer of Thomas Jefferson, and is thought to have influenced James Madison’s political understanding of the separation of church and state. His Virginia Chronicle, with Critical Remarks under 24 Heads, was advertised in the Baptist Annual Register, 1:324. Among his other notable publications are The Rights of Conscience Inalienable (1791) and The Government of Christ a Christocracy (1804). See Brackney, ed., Historical Dictionary, 255.