ZeBarney Thorne Phillips (May 1, 1875 – May 1942) was an Episcopal clergyman who served as

Chaplain of the Senate The chaplain of the United States Senate opens each session of the United States Senate with a prayer, and provides and coordinates religious programs and pastoral care support for senators, their staffs, and their families. The chaplain is appoi ...

(1927–1942).

Early years

ZeBarney Thorne Phillips was born in Springfield, Ohio, May 1, 1875, the son of ZeBarney and Sallie Essex Sharp Phillips. The elder Phillips died when his son was four years old. The younger Phillips was educated at

Wittenberg College Wittenberg University is a private liberal arts college in Springfield, Ohio. It has 1,326 full-time students representing 33 states and 9 foreign countries. Wittenberg University is associated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Americ ...

, Springfield, Ohio. For the next twelve years, his profession was church organist. Then, he became a student at the

General Theological Seminary The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church (GTS) is an Episcopal seminary in New York City. Founded in 1817, GTS is the oldest seminary of the Episcopal Church and the longest continuously operating Seminary in the Anglican Communi ...

of New York City, graduating in 1899.Centennial History of Missouri

Ministry

On July 9, 1899, he was ordained a deacon of the Episcopal church. Following work at St. Luke's church,

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, he took charge of St. Mary's church at

Hillsboro, Ohio Hillsboro is a city in and the county seat of Highland County, Ohio, United States approximately 35 mi (56 km) west of Chillicothe, and 50 miles east of Cincinnati. The population was 6,605 at the 2010 census. History Hillsboro was p ...

(1899). On May 1, 1900, he was ordained to the priesthood and became rector of St. Mary's church, where he remained until June of the following year. Thereafter, he served these churches in succession: the Church of Our Saviour, Mount Auburn,

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...

(1900–1903) and Trinity church,

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

(1903–1909). Following two years of study in

Oxford, England Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

and a year of lecturing in New York, he was called to become the rector of St. Peter's Church,

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. He became rector of the Church of the Epiphany in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

(1924–1942). On December 5, 1927, he was elected

, a post he filled until his death on May 10, 1942. He was elected Dean of the

Washington National Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral, is an American cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Washington, D.C., the ca ...

in 1941; he served until his sudden death in May 1942 (from an erroneously filled prescription). During his short tenure as dean, Phillips' professional music training as an organist led directly to the founding of the Cathedral Choral Society, the resident symphonic chorus of the Cathedral, whose inaugural concert on the day of Dean Phillips’s funeral in May 1942 became his requiem.Phillips biographical sketch on the National Cathedral website: www.nationalcathedral.org/staff/zebarneyPhillips.shtml

Personal life

On September 4, 1906, Phillips married Mrs. Sallie Hews Winston, daughter of Edson Lawrence Hews, of

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

; their children were Sallie Hews and Faith Phillips.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Zebarney Thorne 1875 births 1942 deaths Chaplains of the United States Senate People from Springfield, Ohio 20th-century American Episcopalians Wittenberg University alumni General Theological Seminary alumni