Religious Figure. The Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, he is remembered as the founder of the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City. The youngest of nine children of Quaker farmers, he attended Union College in Schenectady, New York, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1826. He then joined the Episcopal Church and became a priest. In 1828 he was a professor at Washington (now Trinity) College in Hartford, Connecticut until 1833, when he was appointed rector of Saint Peter's Church in Albany, New York. In November 1854, following the death of Jonathan Wainwright earlier that year, he was consecrated as the 6th Bishop of Episcopal Diocese of New York. His tenure saw much growth in the Diocese to the point where new dioceses of Albany, Central New York, and Long Island were created in 1868. A "High Church" proponent, he instituted the Community of St. Mary in 1865 and in 1872 he received approval from the New York State Legislature to form a charter for the establishment of the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, serving as the first president of its board of trustees. In 1883, failing health forced him to take on an assistant, who was his nephew, Henry C. Potter. During his life, he received several honorary degrees, including a Doctor of Divinity from Washington (Trinity) College (1838), a Doctor of Laws from Hobart College in Geneva, New York (1856), and a Doctor of Sacred Theology from the University of Oxford, England (1860). He died at the age of 84. Originally interred at Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery, Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1921 his remains were transferred to a tomb at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine.
Religious Figure. The Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, he is remembered as the founder of the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City. The youngest of nine children of Quaker farmers, he attended Union College in Schenectady, New York, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1826. He then joined the Episcopal Church and became a priest. In 1828 he was a professor at Washington (now Trinity) College in Hartford, Connecticut until 1833, when he was appointed rector of Saint Peter's Church in Albany, New York. In November 1854, following the death of Jonathan Wainwright earlier that year, he was consecrated as the 6th Bishop of Episcopal Diocese of New York. His tenure saw much growth in the Diocese to the point where new dioceses of Albany, Central New York, and Long Island were created in 1868. A "High Church" proponent, he instituted the Community of St. Mary in 1865 and in 1872 he received approval from the New York State Legislature to form a charter for the establishment of the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, serving as the first president of its board of trustees. In 1883, failing health forced him to take on an assistant, who was his nephew, Henry C. Potter. During his life, he received several honorary degrees, including a Doctor of Divinity from Washington (Trinity) College (1838), a Doctor of Laws from Hobart College in Geneva, New York (1856), and a Doctor of Sacred Theology from the University of Oxford, England (1860). He died at the age of 84. Originally interred at Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery, Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1921 his remains were transferred to a tomb at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine.
Bio by: William Bjornstad
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