Richard Beamon Martin (February 23, 1913 – April 11, 2012) was a bishop in

The Episcopal Church The Episcopal Church (TEC), also known as the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America (PECUSA), is a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, based in the United States. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is ...

Early life and education

Martin was born on February 23, 1913, in

Peak, South Carolina Peak is a town in Newberry County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 51 at the 2020 census. History Peak was established in the early 1850s to house workers building the Greenville and Columbia Railroad. It was named for railro ...

, the son of Benjamin Butler Martin and Viola Glasgow. He was educated at the Georgetown High School and later graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in 1937 from

Allen University Allen University is a private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. It has more than 600 students and still serves a predominantly Black constituency. The campus ...

. Later he thought languages and social studies at Georgetown High School. He then studied at Bishop Payne Divinity School, which merged with

Virginia Theological Seminary Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS), formally the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia, is an Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal seminary in Alexandria, Virginia. It is the largest and second-oldest such accredited se ...

in 1949. Martin graduated in 1942 with a

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD, DB, or BDiv; ) is an academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies. ...

. In 1955 he graduated with a

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...

from

Ordained ministry

After graduation, Martin was ordained deacon on June 8, 1942, and priest in February 1943. His first assignment was as priest-in-charge of the Church of the Good Shepherd in

Sumter, South Carolina Sumter ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Sumter County, South Carolina, United States. The city makes up the Sumter, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. Sumter County, along with Clarendon and Lee counties, form the core of Sumter–Lee ...

, and St Augustine's Church in

Wedgefield, South Carolina Wedgefield is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) in the High Hills of Santee area in western Sumter County, South Carolina, United States. Wedgefield is also a Census Designated Place (CDP). Wedgefield was so named bec ...

. In the meantime, he also was an educator of philosophy and English at

Morris College Morris College (MC) is a private, Baptist historically black college in Sumter, South Carolina. It was founded and is operated by the Baptist Educational and Missionary Convention of South Carolina. History Morris College was founded in 1908 ...

. In 1944 he became rector of Grace Church in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

, and was also Archdeacon of Southern Virginia. Between 1963 and 1967 he served as rector of St Philip's Church in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, and between 1965 and 1967 he was also the archdeacon of Brooklyn.

Bishop

He was elected Suffragan Bishop of Long Island in 1966 and was consecrated on February 2, 1967, by Presiding Bishop

John E. Hines John Elbridge Hines (October 3, 1910 – July 19, 1997) was a bishop in the Episcopal Church in the United States. When he was elected the 22nd Presiding Bishop in 1965, at the age of 54, he was the youngest person to hold that office, whic ...

in the Cathedral of the Incarnation in

Garden City, New York Garden City is a village located in Nassau County, on Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 23,272 at the time of the 2020 census. The Incorporated Village of Garden City is primarily located within the Town of Hempstead ...

. During his time as bishop, he was known for his reconciling spirit and as an advocate for recruitment, training and deployment of Black people seeking Holy Orders. His autobiography was published in 2006, when he was 93.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Richard Beamon Episcopal bishops of Long Island 2012 deaths 1913 births People from Newberry County, South Carolina Allen University alumni Virginia Theological Seminary alumni 20th-century American Episcopal priests