John Williams (bishop of Connecticut)

Williams was born at Deerfield, Massachusetts, the son of Ephraim Williams and Emily (Trowbridge) Williams.[1] He was educated at Deerfield Academy, Harvard and at Trinity College, Hartford, where he graduated in 1835.[2] Although his parents were Unitarian, Williams's time at Harvard convinced him to join the Protestant Episcopal Church.[3] He was ordained deacon in 1838 and priest in 1841.[2] Williams held the rectorship of St. George's Church, Schenectady, New York, from 1842 to 1848, after which he became president of Trinity College, and at the same time professor of history and literature there.[2]

In 1851, Williams was elected Assistant Bishop of Connecticut.[4] He was the 53rd bishop, and was consecrated by Bishops Thomas Church Brownell, John Henry Hopkins, and William Heathcote DeLancey.[4] In 1854, Williams founded Berkeley Divinity School at Middletown, and held the office of dean as well as being principal instructor in Church history and theology at the School.[4] On the death of Bishop Brownell in 1865, Williams succeeded him in the sole charge of the diocese, remaining Dean of Berkeley Divinity School also.[4]

Williams succeeded Alfred Lee of Delaware as presiding bishop in 1887, and earned the reputation of a wise conservative leader in ecclesiastical affairs.[5] In 1896, he was acknowledged as the senior bishop in the Anglican communion.

Among his published works are:

• Thoughts on the Gospel Miracles (1848)
• The English Reformation (Paddock Lectures, 1881)
• The World's Witness to Jesus Christ (Bedell Lectures, 1882)
• Studies in the Book of the Acts (1888)

• List of presiding bishops of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America
• List of Episcopal bishops of the United States
• Historical list of the Episcopal bishops of the United States

• Batterson, Hermon Griswold (1884). A Sketch-book of the American Episcopate during one hundred years, 1783-1883. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippencott & Co. Retrieved 2009-07-31.
• Johnson, Rossiter (1904). The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans. X. Boston: The Biographical Society. Retrieved 2009-07-31.
• Shepard, James (1907). History of Saint Mark's Church, New Britain, Conn. New Britain, Conn.: Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor Company. Retrieved 2009-07-31.
• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Gilman, D. C.; Peck, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead. Missing or empty |title= (help)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Williams (bishop born 1817).

• Documents by Williams from Project Canterbury
• Works by John Williams at Project Gutenberg
• Works by or about John Williams at Internet Archive