Born at Indian Lands (St. Elmo), Gordon was ordained a Presbyterian minister in 1890. He served as a missionary in the North West Territories until 1893 and the following year was called to St. Stephens in Winnipeg. A chaplain during the War of 1914-18, he was Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Canada 1921-22. Under the pen name of Ralph Connor, Gordon became one of Canada's leading authors and wrote such books as "The Man from Glengarry", "The Sky Pilot" and "Glengarry School Days". The themes of many of his novels were drawn from his missionary experiences and boyhood memories of Glengarry.