Edward Bass (November 23, 1726 – September 10, 1803) was the first

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of the Diocese of Massachusetts and second bishop of the Diocese of Rhode Island.

Biography

Bass attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, graduating in 1744. He taught and preached in Congregationalist churches, then went to England to be ordained by the bishop of London in May 1752. He had been appointed assistant at St. Paul's Episcopal Church,

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, in 1749 by the new rector, Matthias Plant, whom he followed as rector in 1753, serving until his death in 1803. Bass considered himself neutral during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, but since he omitted from the church service all reference to the

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and the British government, he was accused by the

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of supporting the colonists and lost his financial support. In May 1789, the first convention of the Diocese of Massachusetts, meeting in Salem, elected Bass bishop of Massachusetts and Rhode Island but his parish rejected the election because lay delegates did not participate. In 1796 in

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, Bass was unanimously re-elected bishop of Massachusetts, Rhode Island and

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

, with lay participation, and was consecrated in

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on May 7, 1797. He also oversaw the churches in

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

and is listed by the Diocese of Rhode Island as its second bishop. Edward Bass was the

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consecrated for the Episcopal Church. Aged 71 at the time of his consecration, he is the oldest person consecrated bishop in the Episcopal Church. Bass died on September 10, 1803, just before he was to travel to

Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

. James Morss in his diary, wrote of him, "He felt ill on Saturday and felt he could not preach Sunday night and was concerned about my conducting the service without him as I had not done so before, but he was dead before Sunday."

Consecrators

* William White, 2nd bishop of the Episcopal Church, serving

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, and 1st and 4th Presiding Bishops *

Samuel Provoost Samuel Provoost (March 11, 1742 – September 6, 1815) was an American clergyman. He was the first chaplain of the United States Senate and the first bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, as well as the third Presiding Bishop of the Ep ...

, 3rd bishop of the Episcopal Church, first bishop of

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Thomas John Claggett Thomas John Claggett (October 2, 1743 – August 2, 1816) was the first bishop of the newly formed American Episcopal Church to be consecrated on American soil and the first bishop of the recently established (1780) Diocese of Maryland. Early ...

, 5th bishop of the Episcopal Church, first bishop of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

Notes and references

External links

Web site of the Diocese of Massachusetts

Web site of the Diocese of Rhode Island

Episcopal Church in the United States of America
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bass, Edward 1726 births 1803 deaths Harvard University alumni People from colonial Boston People from colonial Rhode Island 18th-century Anglican bishops in the United States Episcopal bishops of Massachusetts Episcopal Church in Rhode Island Religious leaders from Rhode Island 19th-century Anglican bishops in the United States Episcopal bishops of Rhode Island 18th-century American Episcopal priests 18th-century American bishops

Biography

Consecrators

See also

Notes and references

External links