The Most Reverend William White |
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1st and 4th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church | |
The Most Reverend William White, 1795: Oil on Canvas
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Church | Episcopal Church |
Orders | |
Ordination | 1770 |
Consecration | 1787 by Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of York, the Bishop of Bath and Wells, and the Bishop of Peterborough |
Personal details | |
Born |
Philadelphia |
April 4, 1748
Died | July 17, 1836 | (aged 88)
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Philadelphia College |
William White (April 4, 1748 N.S. – July 17, 1836) was the first and fourth Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States (1789; 1795–1836), the first bishop of the Diocese of Pennsylvania (1787–1836), and the second United States Senate Chaplain (appointed December 9, 1790). He also served as the first and fourth President of the House of Deputies for the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. (1785, 1789)
Born in Philadelphia, White began his education at Philadelphia College (which was later known as the University of Pennsylvania), taking his B.A. in 1765 and his A.M. about three years later. In 1770, he sailed for England on the ship Britannia, for his ordination as a deacon, which took place in the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace. He subsequently returned to England on two occasions: once in 1772, to be ordained priest, and again in 1787, when he was consecrated bishop by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of York, the Bishop of Bath and Wells, and the Bishop of Peterborough. In 1781, after further theological studies, he received a Doctor of Divinity degree from the University of Pennsylvania.