Lafayette Ronald Hubbard ( HUB-ərd; March 13, 1911 – January 24, 1986), often referred to by his initials LRH, was an American author and the founder of the Church of Scientology. After establishing a career as a writer of science fiction and fantasy stories, in 1950 he published a "branch of self-help psychology" called Dianetics. Hubbard subsequently developed his ideas into a new religious movement that he called Scientology. Hubbard was cited by Smithsonian magazine as one of the 100 most significant Americans of all time.
