Henry Yates Satterlee (January 11, 1843 – February 22, 1908) was the first
Episcopal Bishop of Washington,
["Dr. Satterlee is Chosen"](_blank)
''The New York Times'', p. 2, December 7, 1895.["Dr. Satterlee consecrated as Bishop of Washington"](_blank)
''The New York Times'', p. 22, March 22, 1896. serving from 1896 to 1908. He established the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, popularly known as
Washington National Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Episcopal Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral or National Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Wa ...
.
Biography
Early life
He was born on January 11, 1843, at the corner of Greenwich and Carlyle Streets, New York City the son of Edward Satterlee
[Brent, 3] and Jane Anna Yates,
[Yates, 270-277] the daughter Henry Christopher Yates, an attorney-at-law; and for a number of years a New York State Senator and member of the
Council of Appointment The Council of Appointment (sometimes also Council of Appointments) was a body of the Government of New York that existed from 1777 to 1822.
History
Under the New York Constitution of 1777, the Council of Appointment consisted of the Governor of ...
[Yates, 270-277] and Catharine, daughter of Johannes Mynderse
[Brent, 3] and a grand niece of
Joseph Christopher Yates, who was an American lawyer, politician. statesman, and founding trustee of
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 ...
. He was also a descendant of
Jellis Douwese Fonda, who emigrated in 1642 to the Dutch colony of New Netherland (New York).
His uncle was
Charles Yates,
[Yates, 270-277] a
Brigadier-General during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
. Charles' daughter, Stella Yates (November 23, 1866 - February 2, 1929), married on June 10, 1891, in New York City,
Benjamin Brewster, the son of the Rev. Joseph Brewster
[Jones, 781][Jones, 782][Wright, 34] and Sarah Jane Bunce. He was the
Episcopal 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 ...
of
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 ...
and
Missionary Bishop of
Western Colorado.
Education
He graduated from
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
in 1863, and in 1866 graduated from the
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 ...
, New York City.
Marriage and personal life
He married on June 30, 1866, Jane Lawrence Churchill,
[Gates, 275] the daughter of Timothy Gridley Churchill and Patience Lawrence. They were the parents of two children. Their son, the Rev. Churchill Satterlee, was a clergyman of the Episcopal Church.
[Gates, 275] Their daughter, Constance Satterlee, married Frederick W. Rhinelander, the brother of
Philip M. Rhinelander, the seventh
Episcopal Bishop of Pennsylvania.
Ordination
On November 21, 1865, he was ordained a deacon in the Protestant Episcopal Church, and a priest on January 11, 1867. He was assistant rector of Zion Parish at
Wappingers Falls, in
Dutchess County,
New York starting in 1865, and became its rector in 1875. He was rector of
Calvary Church, New York from 1882 until 1896 when he became the Bishop of Washington, D.C. While at Calvary, he had been active in mission work to the poor in the city's
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...
. Satterlee gained international respect for his integrity and leadership and he also worked hard to promote the black clergy of the diocese. In 1888, he declined election as Assistant Bishop of Ohio
[Gates, 273] and in 1889 declined election as Bishop of Michigan.
[Gates, 273]
Consecration
On March 25, 1896, he was consecrated the first
Episcopal Bishop of Washington at Calvary Church, New York City. The consecrator was to have been Bishop
John Williams
John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...
(1817-1899) of Connecticut, the
presiding Bishop, but his fragile condition prevented him from attending.
In his place, the Right Reverend Arthur Cleveland Coxe (1818-1896), Second Bishop of Western New York, presided, assisted by the Right Reverend Henry Codman Potter (1835-1908), Seventh Bishop of New York. Henry Yates Satterlee was the first
Episcopal Bishop of Washington, serving from 1896 to 1908.
He established the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, popularly known as
Washington National Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Episcopal Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral or National Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Wa ...
. He was responsible for acquiring its land atop Mt. Saint Alban in
Northwest Washington and overseeing its construction in the 14th century English Gothic style, envisioning the role of the
cathedral
A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...
in state and world affairs.
Honors awarded
He received an honorary degree of D.D. 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 ...
in 1882 and from
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
in 1896; and that of LL.D from Columbia University in 1897.
[Gates, 274]
Death
He died on February 22, 1908, in Washington, D.C. He is buried in the Bethlehem Chapel of Washington National Cathedral.
[
]
List of works
He is the author of ''Christ and his Church'' (1878); ''Life Lessons of the Prayer Book'' (1890); ''A Creedless Gospel and the Gospel Creed'' (1894); ''New Testament Churchmanship'' (1899); ''The calling of the Christian'' and ''Christ's Sacrament of Fellowship'' (1902) and ''The Building of a Cathedral'' (1901).[Gates, 274]
Gallery
File:Satterlee Tomb in Washington Cathedral.jpg , Satterlee Tomb, Washington National Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Episcopal Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral or National Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Wa ...
File:Henry Saterlee tomb - Bethlehem Chapel - National Cathedral - DC.JPG , Satterlee Tomb, Washington National Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Episcopal Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral or National Cathedral, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Wa ...
Notes
References
* Brent, Charles Henry (1916). ''A master builder: being the life and letters of Henry Yates Satterlee, first bishop of Washington''. Longmans, Green and Co.
* Gates, Merrill Edwards (1905). ''Men of Mark in America''. Men of Mark Publishing Company.
* Jones, Emma C. Brewster (1908). ''The Brewster Genealogy, 1566-1907: a Record of the Descendants of William Brewster of the ''"Mayflower"'', ruling elder of the Pilgrim church which founded Plymouth Colony in 1620''. New York: Grafton Press.
* Wright, R.W. (1878). ''Biographical record: Yale University. Class of 1842''. R.W. Wright, compiler. Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor, Printers.
* Yates, Austin A. (1902). ''Schenectady County, New York: Its History to the Close of the Nineteenth Century''. New York History Company.
Further reading
''Schenectady County, New York: Its History to the Close of the Nineteenth Century''
Publisher: New York History Company, 1902.
Men of Mark in America
Biography & Portrait
External links
Bibliographic directory
from Project Canterbury
Episcopal Diocese of Washington
Washington National Cathedral
Calvary Church, NYC.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Satterlee, Henry Yates
1843 births
1908 deaths
Episcopal bishops of Washington
Columbia University alumni
Burials at Washington National Cathedral
Wappinger, New York
General Theological Seminary alumni
19th-century American Episcopalians