Francis Asbury was a British-American Methodist minister who served as one of the inaugural bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Born in England in 1745, he emigrated to the American colonies in 1771 to serve as a traveling preacher. For 45 years, he traveled extensively across the American frontier by horse and carriage to reach remote congregations. He played a central role in spreading Methodism during the Second Great Awakening and is frequently honored as a founding figure of the movement in the United States.