John B. Gough (pronounced Goffe) was the most powerful and popular temperance orator in America during the mid nineteenth century. Dubbed the "Demosthenes of total abstinence," Gough was gifted with a mellifluous voice, a genius for mimicry, and a charismatic presence. Edward A. Rand, in an early biography, A Knight That Smote the Dragon; or, The Young People's Gough (1892), describes Gough as a speaker:

He is of slight build, has flashing eyes set in a sad, thin face, and he has a nervous, intense manner. His voice has great range of expression. It can flame out in a righteous indignation or soften to those inimitable tones of pathos, subduing and melting the hearts of his hearers. Does he need the help of satire? His tongue can hiss out a sharp invective. Would he make his hearers see any of life's humorous sides? He can imitate the fuss and...