Our History
In 1837 Thomas Maclellan was born in Castle Douglas, near Dumfries in southwest Scotland. The son of a shoe retailer he went to work with the Bank of Scotland. While in Blairgowrie he became a Christian and made a covenant with God, committing his life to God's purposes that he would be used "as an instrument for Thy service...and of benefit to the world".
Like many Scots at that time he later emigrated to Canada where he managed a bank in Saint John, New Brunswick.
On 1892 after thirty years in Nova Scotia Thomas moved to the booming industrial town of Chattanooga, Tennessee. He invested in the fledgling Provident Insurance Company that served the saw mill and coal mining workers. The company was very successful and in 1910 went Public with Thomas as its first President at age 73. At the time of his death at age 79 the company had grown to cover 15 states.
The family continued to own the company and as the success of the company grew so did their wealth. However they maintained the humble attitude of their patriarch and continued his commitment to glorifying God with the fruits of their success.
The first of the family charitable foundations was founded in 1945 by Robert J Maclellan, his sister Dora Maclellan Brown and his son Robert L Maclellan. From the start the Foundation combined local support with international vision. As the company continued to grow so did the work of the Foundation and by 1969 over $1M had been given away to support Christian work both in the US and around the world.
On the death of Robert L Maclellan in 1972, a second Foundation was set up to honour his and his wife's contribution. The family continued to oversee and be deeply involved with the work of both Foundations.
Today the fourth generation of Maclellan's, Robert H Maclellan (Scott) chairs the three Maclellan Foundations. To date the Foundations have given away over $500M to Christian and Charitable causes around the world, all because Thomas covenanted to serve God with his life and wealth 163 years before.