Henry Pryor Almon Abbott (July 11, 1881 – April 4, 1945) was a prelate of the Episcopal Church, who served as Bishop of Lexington from 1929 to 1945.

Early life and education

Abbott was born July 11, 1881, in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

, the son of the Reverend John Abbott and Ella Almon. He was educated at Rothesay Collegiate School in

Rothesay, New Brunswick Rothesay () is a suburban town located in Kings County, New Brunswick, Canada. Located within Saint John's metropolitan area, it borders the town of Quispamsis to form the Kennebecasis Valley and is located along the lower Kennebecasis River. ...

. He attended the

University of King's College The University of King's College is a public university, public Liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia.Roper, Henry. "Aspects of the History of a Loyalist College: King's College, Windsor, and ...

Windsor, Nova Scotia Windsor is a community located in Hants County, Nova Scotia, Hants County, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a service centre for the western part of the county and is situated on Nova Scotia Highway 101, Highway 101. The community has a history d ...

from where he 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 1902 and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

in 1904. He was awarded 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 ...

in 1911 by the same university. He also studied at

St Stephen's House, Oxford St Stephen's House is an external theological college with observer status at the University of Oxford, affiliated with the Church of England. From 2003 to 2023 it was a permanent private hall of the University of Oxford. The college typicall ...

. On July 11, 1907, he married Rachel Caroline Gwyn, and together had five children. He was also awarded another

, this time from the University of the South in 1929. The

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

awarded him a

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

in 1942.

Ordained ministry

He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

deacon in 1904 by Bishop Tully Kingdon of

Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River (Bay of Fundy), Saint John River, ...

, and priest in 1905 by Bishop

Clarendon Worrell Clarendon Lamb Worrell (July 20, 1854 – 10 August 1934) was the 5th Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada. Early life Clarendon Lamb Worrell was born on July 20, 1854, at Smith's Falls, Ontario, to the Reverend Canon John Worrell and El ...

of Nova Scotia. He was

Curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () of souls of a parish. In this sense, ''curate'' means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy who are as ...

at St Luke's Cathedral in

Halifax, NS Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the Halifax CMA was 530,167, with 348,634 ...

from 1904 to 1906, and briefly served as assistant rector of the Church of St James the Apostle in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

in 1906. That same year, he became rector of Christ Church Cathedral in

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

, where he remained till 1914. Subsequently, from 1910 till 1911, he served as

Dean of Niagara The Dean of Niagara is an Anglican dean in the Anglican Diocese of Niagara of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ontario, based at Christ's Church Cathedral in Hamilton, Ontario. The incumbent is also Rector of Christ Church. The incumbents have be ...

After arriving in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, Abbott became Dean of Trinity Cathedral,

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

in 1914, while in 1919, he became rector of Grace and St Peter's Church in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

. Between 1928 and 1929, he was rector of St Chrysostom's Church in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Episcopacy

On January 30, 1929, Abbott was elected Bishop of Lexington and was consecrated on May 15, 1929, by Presiding Bishop John Gardner Murray. He retained the post until his death in 1945. His episcopate is noted for his work in freeing the diocese from debt during the Depression years and worked to promote missionary work in the mountain regions of the diocese. He died on April 4, 1945, of a heart attack.

Books

*''Help from the Hills'', 1917. *''The Man Outside the Church'', 1918. *''Sparks from a Parson’s Anvil'', 1918. *''The Supreme Sacrifice'', 1918. *
The Religion of the Tommy: War Essays and Addresses
', 1918. *''Foundation Stones'', 1925. *''The Joy of the Cross'', 1925. *''Things that Matter'', 1941. *''What is Christianity?''

References

External links

Portrait
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbott, Henry Pryor Almon 1881 births 1945 deaths University of King's College alumni Alumni of St Stephen's House, Oxford 20th-century American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of Lexington