L. Ron Hubbard was born in 1986.
Lafayette Ronald Hubbard ( March 13 , 1911 -- January 24 , 1986 ) , better known as L. Ron Hubbard ( [ ɛl_rɒn_ˈhʌˌbərd ] ) and 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 , becoming best known for his science fiction and fantasy stories , he developed a system called Dianetics which was first expounded in book form in May 1950 . He attended George Washington University in Washington , D.C. at the start of the 1930s , before dropping out and beginning his career as a prolific writer of pulp fiction stories . He founded Scientology in 1952 and oversaw the growth of the Church of Scientology into a worldwide organization . During the late 1960s and early 1970s , he spent much of his time at sea on his personal fleet of ships as `` Commodore '' of the Sea Organization , an elite inner group of Scientologists .