George Washington Doane (May 27, 1799 – April 27, 1859) was an American churchman, educator, and the second

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

in the Episcopal Church for the Diocese of New Jersey.

Early life and career

Doane was born in

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the federal capital, capital of the United States from November 1 until D ...

. He graduated from

Union College Union College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the s ...

Schenectady, New York Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...

, in 1818. He did additional studies in

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

and, in 1821, was ordained deacon. In 1823 he was ordained as an Episcopal priest by Bishop Hobart, whom he assisted in Trinity Church, New York. With George Upfold (1796–1872), Bishop of Indiana from 1849 to 1872, Doane founded St. Luke's in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. From 1824 to 1828 he was professor of ''

belles-lettres () is a category of writing, originally meaning beautiful or fine writing. In the modern narrow sense, it is a label for literary works that do not fall into the major categories such as fiction, poetry, or drama. The phrase is sometimes used pej ...

'' in Washington (now

Trinity The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...

) College,

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

. At this time, he was one of the editors of the ''Episcopal Watchman''. He was assistant in 1828–1830 and rector in 1830–1832 of

Trinity Church, Boston Trinity Church in the City of Boston, located in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, is a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. The congregation, currently standing at approximately 4,000 households, was founded in ...

Bishop of New Jersey

Doane was called as second bishop of New Jersey, serving from October 1832 to his death in 1859 at

Burlington, New Jersey Burlington is a City (New Jersey), city situated on the banks of the Delaware River in Burlington County, New Jersey, Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 United States census, the c ...

. In 1837, he founded St. Mary's Hall (now

Doane Academy Doane Academy is a coeducational, independent day school serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, located in Burlington in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Originally called St. Mary's Hall, it was found ...

), to provide a classical education for girls. It was the first such boarding school for girls in the United States, in a period when numerous schools for girls were founded. The school was supported in part by a gift from his wife, Eliza Greene Callahan (married firstly James Perkins; second George Washington Doane). In 1846 he founded Burlington College, a school for boys. These fulfilled his theory of education under church control. Because of national financial crises, his business management of these schools got the diocese heavily into debt. In the autumn of 1852, a charge of lax administration was made against him before a court of bishops, who dismissed it. Doane was shown to be an able and wise disciplinarian of these schools. His patriotic orations and sermons prove him a speaker of great power. He belonged to the

High Church A ''high church'' is a Christian Church whose beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, Christian liturgy, liturgy, and Christian theology, theology emphasize "ritual, priestly authority, ndsacraments," and a standard liturgy. Although ...

party and was a brilliant controversialist. He published ''Songs by the Way'' (1824), a volume of poems. He also wrote hymns, of which those beginning "Softly now the light of day" and "Thou art the Way" are well known. He commissioned

John Notman John Notman (July 22, 1803 March 3, 1865) was a Scottish-born American architect and landscape architect based in Philadelphia. He designed buildings, cemeteries, churches and country estates in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and h ...

to build a chapel for St. Mary's Hall. The congregation of St. Mary's Church grew, and he commissioned architect

Richard Upjohn Richard Upjohn (22 January 1802 – 16 August 1878) was a British-American architect who immigrated to the United States and became most famous for his Gothic Revival churches. He was partially responsible for launching the movement to popula ...

to design a new St. Mary's Church, his

episcopal seat A cathedral is a church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations with an episcop ...

, completed in 1856. Both buildings have been recognized as

National Historic Landmarks A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

Death

Doane died in 1859. He was buried in Saint Mary's Episcopal Churchyard in Burlington.George Washington Doane
, Saint Mary's Episcopal Churchyard. Accessed August 21, 2007.

Legacy

Among those whom Doane had ordained during his lifetime was

Joseph Wolff Joseph Wolff (1795 – 2 May 1862) was a Messianic Jewish missionary born in Weilersbach, near Bamberg, Germany, named Wolff after his paternal grandfather. He travelled widely, and was known as "the missionary to the world". He published se ...

, a Jewish Christian missionary. Doane's biography and bibliography, ''Life and Writings of George Washington Doane'' (4 vols, New York, 1860–1861), was edited by his son,

William Croswell Doane William Croswell Doane (March 2, 1832, in BostonGeorge Lynde Richardson, Project Canterbury: William Croswell Doane, First Bishop of Albany (Hartford, Connecticut; Church Missions Publishing, 1933), found aAnglican History website G L Richardson p ...

(1832–1913). He followed his father into the clergy and was called as the first Bishop of Albany. That both Doane and his son became "bishops asa situation possibly not unique but certainly rare enough to be remarked upon."James Gwynn, "Like Father, Like Son," ''Swan & Elk'' (newsletter of the Cathedral of All Saints, Albany, New York), Fall 2012, pg. 11. Founded in 1837 and now known as Doane Academy, the private school he founded is coeducational, serving grades Pre-K through 12, and has a substantial endowment to ensure its future. It was the first academic, church run school for girls in the United States.

References

Sources

* ''The Episcopal Church Annual''. Morehouse Publishing: New York (2005).
Bishops of the Diocese of New Jersey
* Doane, George Washington, Bishop of New Jersey, ''The apostolical commission the missionary charter of the church''. The Sermon

n Matt. xxviii. 18–20 N, or n, is the fourteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages, and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

at the ordination of Joseph Wolff in ... Newark, Sept. 26, 1837. *

External links

Doane's works online

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doane, George Washington 1799 births 1859 deaths People from Trenton, New Jersey Union College (New York) alumni 19th-century Anglican bishops in the United States Episcopal bishops of New Jersey 19th-century American theologians 19th-century Anglican theologians Anglican hymnwriters American hymnwriters