eHymns.org

Born: August 28, 1840, Edinburg, Pennsylvania.
Died: August 13, 1908, Brooklyn, New York.
Buried: GreenWood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York.
Pseudonym: Rian A. Dykes (an anagram of “Ira D. Sankey”)

As a young man, Sankey served in the American Civil War. He often helped the unit chaplain and led his fellow soldiers in hymn singing. After the war, he joined the Internal Revenue Service, and also worked with the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA). He became well known as a Gospel singer, and eventually came to the attention of evangelist Dwight Lyman Moody. The two men met at a YMCA convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, in June, 1870. Some months later, Sankey attended his first evangelistic meeting with Moody, and resigned from government service shortly thereafter.

In October 1871, Sankey and Moody were in the middle of a revival meeting when the Great Chicago Fire began. The two men barely escaped the conflagration with their lives. Sankey ended up watching the city burn from a rowboat far out on Lake Michigan.

Sankey composed about 1,200 songs in his lifetime. He was blind from glaucoma the last five years of his life, and no doubt found a kindred spirit in his friend and music making partner, blind hymnist Fanny Crosby. His works include:

Welcome Tidings: A New Collection of Sacred Songs for the Sunday School
(with Robert Lowry & Howard Doane) (New York: Biglow & Main, 1877)
Gems of Song for the Sunday School
(with Hubert Main) (Chicago, Illinois: The Biglow & Main Co., 1901)


Music

Able to Deliver
Army of Endeavor
Behold the Wondrous Love
Believe and Obey
Blessed Redeemer
Bring in the Children
Christian’s “Good Night”, The
Cleansing Fountain, The
Clephane
Come, Oh Come, with Thy Broken Heart
Crewdson
Descend, O Flame
Faith Is the Victory
Glory Ever Be to Jesus
Great Jehovah, Mighty Lord
Handwriting on the Wall, The
Harbor Bell, The
Hear Us, O Savior!
How Can I Keep from Singing?
I Am Praying for You
I Know He Is Mine
It Is Finished!
It Passeth Knowledge
Jesus, I Will Trust Thee
King Is Coming, The
Light After Darkness
Little While, A
Lord Is King!, The
Model Church, The
Mountain
Never Say Goodbye
Newcastle
Ninety and Nine, The
Not Now, My Child
O Blessèd Be the Lord
O Brother, Life’s Journey Beginning
O Beautiful Sea
O Child of God
O Precious Word
O Songs of the Beautiful
Onward Will We Go
O’er Land and Sea
Onward, Upward
Over the Beautiful River
Precious Blessings
Resurrection Morn
Sankey
Send the Gospel Light
Shadow of the Rock, The
Shelter in the Time of Storm, A
Song of Heaven and Homeland, A
Story That Never Grows Old, The
Substitution
Take Me as I Am
Tell It Out
Thanks for the Bible
There Are Lonely Hearts to Cherish
There’ll Be No Dark Valley
This Is Our Endeavor
Thy Hand Upholdeth Me
To Arms! To Arms! Ye Soldiers!
Trust
Trusting Jesus
Under His Wings
Waiting for Thy Coming
What a Gathering
When My Weary Hands Are Folded
When the King Shall Come!
When the Mists Have Rolled Away
Wonderful Word

Source: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/bio/s/a/n/sankey_id.html