John Allen Burden (1862–1942) was an American

Seventh-day Adventist The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventism, Adventist Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the Names of the days of the week#Numbered days of the week, seventh day of the ...

minister, administrator, and

medical missionary Medical missions is the term used for Christian missionary endeavors that involve the administration of medical treatment. As has been common among missionary efforts from the 18th to 20th centuries, medical missions often involves residents of th ...

instrumental in founding sanitariums, restaurants, and health food factories. At the age of 9, John attended Adventist meetings for the first time and was introduced to the writings of

Ellen G. White Ellen Gould White (née Harmon; November 26, 1827 – July 16, 1915) was an American woman author and co-founder of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Along with other Adventist leaders such as Joseph Bates and her husband James White, she wa ...

, which left a lifelong impression upon him. Five years later he was baptized, and at the age of 18 (1880) moved with his family to

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. John met Eleanor A. Baxter (1865–1933) as a student at Healdsburg College (now

Pacific Union College Pacific Union College (PUC) is a private university, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Angwin, California. It is the only four-year college in Napa County, California, Napa County. It is a coeducational r ...

). They were married in 1888 while working for the Rural Health Retreat (later St. Helena Sanitarium), of which John became manager in 1891. In 1901 the Burdens went to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

where they helped Merritt G. Kellogg who was founding the Wahroonga Sanitarium in

Wahroonga Wahroonga is a suburb in the North Shore (Sydney)#Upper North Shore, Upper North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, 18 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. By March 1904 the Burdens returned to the United States.

encouraged them not to unite with

John Harvey Kellogg John Harvey Kellogg (February 26, 1852 – December 14, 1943) was an American medical doctor, nutritionist, inventor, health activist, eugenicist, and businessman. He was the director of the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan. The ...

Battle Creek Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which encom ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. Instead, John sought to establish a sanitarium near

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. Eight miles from the city he discovered the Glendale Hotel that had cost $60,000 to build in 1886. However, because of local business failures, property value had declined so that he was able to purchase it for $12,500. When it opened in 1905, Burden was the manager of the sanitarium, and Eleanor the bookkeeper. The sanitarium prospered under Burden's careful management. In 1904

urged for the establishment of another sanitarium in

southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

. A resort hotel at Loma Linda was found that was available for $110,000, a price too high. On May 4, 1905 she met with the Burdens and others at the railroad station in Los Angeles on her way to the

General Conference Session The General Conference Session is the official world meeting of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, held every five years. At the session, delegates from around the world elect the Church's World Leaders, discuss and vote on changes ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Burden told her of the property, and she expressed definite interest in it, asking him to write her about it after his next visit to the property. When Burden's letter arrived in Washington, she urged him by telegram to

secure the property by all means. . . . This is the very property we ought to have. Do not delay; for it is just what is needed.

Borrowing the down payment, Burden succeeded in purchasing the property for $40,000 and was put in charge of the new sanitarium. The final price, with discounts for early payment, came to $38,900. After Ellen White found out that the property was secured she wrote in her diary:

I am surprised more and more that the Lord has in His abundant mercy wrought in our behalf.Ellen G. White, Manuscript 176, 1905, Aug. 25, 1905

Founded as the College of Medical Evangelists, the institution exists today as

Loma Linda University Loma Linda University (LLU) is a private Seventh-day Adventist health sciences university in Loma Linda, California. , the university comprises eight schools and a Faculty of Graduate Studies. It is a part of the Seventh-day Adventist educatio ...

. A building on campus, Burden Hall, remains named for John Burden. At one time, it was home to the

Loma Linda University Church Loma Linda University Church of Seventh-day Adventists is a Seventh-day Adventist church on the Loma Linda University campus in Loma Linda, California, United States. By membership, it is the largest Adventist church in the world, with about 6 ...

Seventh-day Adventists The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventism, Adventist Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the Names of the days of the week#Numbered days of the week, seventh day of the ...

until the congregation outgrew it. Burden Hall now houses the Office of University Relations, is used for classes during the week, and is home to a Sabbath School class each Saturday. Burden continued to manage the facilities at Loma Linda until 1915 when he became manager, and Eleanor the matron, of Paradise Valley Sanitarium (1916–1924; 1925–1934). After Eleanor's death in 1933, John retired, but in 1939 he returned to Loma Linda to serve as chaplain, counseling young medical missionaries and the staff of the College of Medical Evangelists. Burden died as the result of a car accident on his return from a Bible study in Redlands, California. Burden's personal collection of some 650 pages of Ellen White's letters (half of them addressed to him) was published as ''Loma Linda Messages'' (Loma Linda, CA: College of Medical Evangelists, 1934).

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