In an era defined by indulgence and excess, Sylvester Graham stood apart as a champion of moderation, purity, and health reform. A Presbyterian minister turned social critic, Graham became one of the most controversial figures of 19th-century America.
He was celebrated by some as a visionary of wellness and mocked by others as a zealot. Though today his name is most often associated with the sweet, crunchy graham cracker, the man behind it was anything but sugary.
