‏George L. Bolton‏

A World War I veteran of the British Army, George Bolton was an alcoholic and a gambler who deserted his wife and three daughters and headed for New York City, where he eventually wound up on Skid Row, drifting and lost. One night in 1927, he wandered into the Jerry McAuley Mission on the Bowery for a free meal; the sermon by the officiating minister changed Bolton's life and he gave his soul to Christ, giving up both booze and gambling. He studied for the ministry, ultimately being ordained in the United Presbyterian Church, and started working among the derelict and downtrodden of New York City. After a few years, he was running the McAuley Mission; in 1942, the Christian Herald Commission appointed Reverend Bolton to run the Bowery Mission at 227 Bowery between Rivington and Stanton Streets on the Lower East Side of New York City; he remained in that position until his death in 1959.