Grant Colfax Tullar

Grant Colfax Tullar (1869–1950) was a prominent American Methodist minister, evangelist, and hymn writer whose life journey from hardship to musical influence became a testament to his faith. Born in Bolton, Connecticut, he was named after President Ulysses S. Grant and Vice President Schuyler Colfax. Tullar’s early life was marked by instability; his father was disabled during the Battle of Antietam, and his mother passed away when he was only two years old. Lacking a formal education or religious upbringing, he spent his youth working in woolen mills and as a shoe clerk before experiencing a spiritual conversion at a Methodist camp meeting at the age of nineteen.

Following his conversion, Tullar pursued an education at Hackettstown Academy in New Jersey and was eventually ordained as a Methodist minister. Though he served briefly as a pastor in Delaware, he found his true calling in music and evangelism. He spent a decade as the song leader for evangelist Major George A. Hilton, a role that allowed him to refine his skills in leading congregational worship. In 1893, he co-founded the Tullar-Meredith Publishing Company in New York, a firm that became a leading producer of music for churches and Sunday schools across the United States.

Tullar is perhaps best remembered today for his insightful poetry and his ability to articulate the complexities of the Christian experience. His poem "The Weaver" remains one of the most frequently quoted metaphors for divine providence, comparing the trials of life to the "underside" of a tapestry that only God can see in its entirety. Through his publishing house and his own compositions, Tullar moved beyond his early "life of sorrow" to provide a musical and poetic vocabulary that offered comfort and hope to millions of believers.