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Notorious Lives

Werner Erhard.

Great Lives from History: Notorious Lives

L. Ron Hubbard

by Mary C. Ware

Founder of the Church of Scientology

Cause of notoriety: Hubbard was the founder of Dianetics and the religion Scientology, which has been both praised for its contributions to adherents’ success and criticized as a quasi cult.

Active: 1930’s-1986

Locale: Camden, New Jersey; Sussex, England; Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe); California

Early Life

L. Ron Hubbard (HUHB-ahrd) was the son of a career U.S. Naval veteran and a high school teacher. He attended but did not graduate from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Hubbard began making a living as an author during the 1930’s writing short stories and novellas; two of his early works include Final Blackout (1940) and Fear (1951). He married Margaret Grubb in 1933. They had two children, L. Ron, Jr., and Katherine May, in 1934 and 1936.

Hubbard joined the Navy, following his father’s footsteps, in 1941. He left active service in 1945 and resigned his commission in 1950. There are many inconsistencies between his own accounts of his military service and official accounts of the Navy.

In 1950, he published Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, which was designed as a self-improvement program. It included the concept of “auditing,” in which two individuals conduct a question-and-answer session regarding difficult times and painful memories. The book sold 150,000 copies in its first year of publication.

In 1952-1953, Hubbard worked to expand Dianetics into a philosophy and then a religion. He founded the Church of Scientology in 1953 in Camden, New Jersey. Hubbard moved to England shortly thereafter and bought a manor in Sussex, where he set up the world headquarters of Scientology. Members of the church paid for expensive courses of study and other services, and the church and Hubbard had a very positive cash flow. He often implied that forming a church was a good way to succeed in business.

However, while his success as an author was thriving, his private life was in difficulty. He was accused of bigamy, and his wife sought divorce. The divorce papers included a number of accusations, including kidnapping, torture, and beatings; no criminal charges were filed, however.

Religious Career

In the 1960’s, Scientology became highly scrutinized by governments of many countries. Its controversial concept of “fair game”—supporting the use of aggressive means against “suppressive persons” who actively seek to oppress Scientology—made church members suspect of committing crimes against those who opposed them. In the name of fair game, it is alleged, individuals have been harassed and abused for criticizing the church. Hubbard moved several times to avoid the controversy, living in Rhodesia for a while and then commanding a fleet of ships on the Mediterranean.

The Church of Scientology’s offices were raided in the 1970’s by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) because of suspicion of espionage. Hubbard’s third wife and some top officials were charged with conspiracy against the U.S. government in 1979. Hubbard was named an “unindicted coconspirator.”

Hubbard wrote extensively in the science-fiction genre during the 1980’s and continued to receive a good income from the Scientology organization, although he was officially separated from the Church of Scientology’s management at that time. He died at his ranch in Creston, California, on January 24, 1986. Controversy followed his death, with questions about cause of death, last-minute changes to his will, and high levels of Vistaril, a psychotropic drug, found by the coroner in his system.

Impact

Judgments about the impact of L. Ron Hubbard’s life are full of controversy, as his supporters make many claims about his accomplishments and almost superhuman abilities. He has been depicted as a hero by some and an unscrupulous individual by others. He has written and influenced people in many realms of life, including psychology and education. Those who have documented his life have painted him either as a world-changing visionary or as a scoundrel. Hubbard’s books continued to sell well in the twenty-first century. The Church of Scientology has many followers worldwide, including many famous people, who say they owe him much for providing a way of thinking that changed their lives.

Further Reading

1 

Atack, Jon. A Piece of Blue Sky. New York: Lyle Stewart, 1990. A history of Hubbard and Scientology that takes a critical view of Hubbard, Dianetics, and Scientology.

2 

Corydon, Bent. L. Ron Hubbard: Messiah or Madman? Fort Lee, N.J.: Barricade Books, 1992. Although the title might lead one to believe that this book offers a balanced perspective, the discussion is very critical of Hubbard as a person and a leader of people.

3 

Hubbard, L. Ron, ed. What Is Scientology? Los Angeles: Bridge, 1993. A discussion of Scientology and Hubbard’s life, written and published by the Church of Scientology’s own publishing house.

4 

Melton, J. Gordon. The Church of Scientology. Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2000. Melton, a religious scholar, produced a concise book that summarizes Scientology and Hubbard’s contributions. The book attempts not to take sides.

5 

Monsma, Stephen. When Sacred and Secular Mix: Religious Nonprofit Organizations and Public Money. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2000. Hubbard made a major business from charging fees for Church of Scientology publications and training materials. This book examines that concept in depth.

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
Ware, Mary C. "L. Ron Hubbard." Great Lives from History: Notorious Lives, edited by Carl L. Bankston III, Salem Press, 2007. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=GLN_1280.
APA 7th
Ware, M. C. (2007). L. Ron Hubbard. In C. L. Bankston III (Ed.), Great Lives from History: Notorious Lives. Salem Press. online.salempress.com.
CMOS 17th
Ware, Mary C. "L. Ron Hubbard." Edited by Carl L. Bankston III. Great Lives from History: Notorious Lives. Hackensack: Salem Press, 2007. Accessed December 14, 2025. online.salempress.com.