Frank Elmer Wilson (May 21, 1885 – February 16, 1944) was an American bishop in the Episcopal Church. He was the first bishop of the Diocese of Eau Claire, serving from the creation of the diocese in 1928 until his death in 1944.

Early life and education

Wilson was born on May 21, 1885, in

Kittanning, Pennsylvania Kittanning ( ) is a borough in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is situated northeast of Pittsburgh, along the east bank of the Allegheny River. The population was 3,921 at the 2020 census. The name is ...

, the son of the Reverend William White Wilson and Irene Mayhew Ladd. He graduated from Harvard Preparatory School 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 ...

in 1903 and later studied at Hobart College from where he earned 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 1907. He graduated 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. ...

from

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

in 1910. Hobart awarded him a

Doctor of Sacred Theology The Doctor of Sacred Theology (, abbreviated STD), also sometimes known as Professor of Sacred Theology (, abbreviated STP), is the final theological degree in the pontifical university system of the Catholic Church, being the ecclesiastical equ ...

in 1923, while the General Theological Seminary awarded him another in 1929. In 1929, he also received 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

Nashotah House Nashotah House is an Anglican seminary in Nashotah, Wisconsin. The seminary opened in 1842 and received its official charter in 1847. The institution is independent and generally regarded as one of the more theologically conservative seminaries ...

Ordained ministry

Wilson was ordained deacon on May 29, 1910, and priest later in the year by Bishop

Charles P. Anderson Charles Palmerston Anderson (September 8, 1865 – January 30, 1930) was the seventeenth Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. Early life and education He was born in Kemptville, Ontario in Canada on September 8, 1865, the son of Henry Ande ...

of Chicago. He served as rector of St Ambrose's Church in

Chicago Heights, Illinois Chicago Heights is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 27,480 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A south suburb of Chicago, it is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. Its nicknames include "The Cro ...

, and in 1923 as rector of St Andrew's Church in

. In 1915, he became rector of St Augustine's Church in

Wilmette, Illinois Wilmette is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Bordering Lake Michigan, Kenilworth, Winnetka, Skokie, Northfield, Glenview, and Evanston, Illinois, it is located north of Chicago's downtown district. Wilmette had a populatio ...

, and in 1917 and 1918 he served as chaplain of the

American Expeditionary Forces The American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) was a formation of the United States Armed Forces on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during World War I, composed mostly of units from the United States Army, U.S. Army. The AEF was establis ...

. In 1919, he became rector of Christ Church in

Eau Claire, Wisconsin Eau Claire ( ; lit. "clear water") is a city in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, Eau Claire and Chippewa County, Wisconsin, Chippewa counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the county seat, seat of Eau Claire County. It is the List of citie ...

Bishop

Wilson was elected as the first Bishop of Eau Claire on November 21, 1928. He was consecrated on May 1, 1929, at Christ Church Cathedral by Presiding Bishop John Gardner Murray. He died in office February 16, 1944.

References

External links

Documents by Wilson
from

Project Canterbury Project Canterbury (sometimes abbreviated as PC) is an online archive of material related to the history of Anglicanism. It was founded by Richard Mammana, Jr. in 1999 with a grant from Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold, and is ...

References

1885 births 1944 deaths 20th-century American Episcopal priests Episcopal bishops of Eau Claire {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub