He was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in 1874 and was
introduced to the Baha'i Faith in 1914. His major book, Baha'u'llah and the New
Era, the first nine chapters of which he wrote during the First World War, was
submitted to 'Abdu'l-Baha for approval. Dr. Esslemont visited 'Abdu'l-Baha in
the Holy Land during 1919 to 1920 and following the passing of the Master in
1921 returned to the Holy Land in 1925 to undertake work for Shoghi Effendi. He
died there in November 1925 and was posthumously named a Hand of the Cause. The
book, ‘Baha’u’llah and the New Era’ has been translated into many languages and
has become one of the most widely used of the introductory books to the Baha'i
Faith.
(Adapted from 'A Basic Baha’i Dictionary')
