Frank Sandford

Frank Weston Sandford (October 2, 1862 – March 4, 1948) was a charismatic Christian religious leader in the United States who attained notoriety as the founder and leader of an apocalyptic sect known as "The Kingdom".

After performing an exorcism and claiming to hear the voice of God warn him of "Armageddon", he established a commune called the "Shiloh" in Durham, Maine. Commune members were forced to fast, pray for hours-on-end and obey Sandford's orders absolutely. After commune members disagreed about his biblical interpretations, he instituted a chain-of-command in which his orders were limited by only by those of God and Jesus Christ. Eventually he declared himself the incarnation of the prophet Elijah and King David, and established "The Kingdom."

Considered by many to be an autocrat who insisted on unquestioning loyalty, Sandford regularly starved his followers, which resulted in deadly outbreaks of smallpox, diphtheria, and other infectious diseases. The death of 14-year-old Leander Bartlett lead to his conviction for manslaughter and cruelty to children in 1904, though the convictions were reversed the following year. Sandford then began leading missionary sea voyages. In 1911, he knowingly sailed from Africa to Greenland with insufficient food and supplies, causing six crew members to be stricken with scurvy and die on his return to Portland.

Sandford was detained by authorities and sentenced to seven years in prison. In 1918, Sandford was released on good behavior and returned to the "Shiloh", resuming his responsibilities as leader. Two years later, the death of another commune member led his sect to be forcibly dispersed in what he called "the Scattering".

After the commune was evacuated by law, Sandford moved to New York's Catskill Mountains. On March 4, 1948, Sandford died and his body was secretly buried by his followers.

His sect survives, in attenuated form, into the 21st century with the creation of the Kingdom Christian Ministries in 1998.