James Parker Clements (August 8, 1911 - June 6, 1977) was an American prelate of the Episcopal Church, who served as Suffragan Bishop of Texas from 1956 until 1960.

Early life and education

Clements was born in

Revere, Massachusetts Revere (, ) is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts. Located approximately northeast of Downtown Boston, Revere is the terminus of the Blue Line (MBTA), MBTA Blue Line, with three stations located within the city: Wonderland station, Wonderla ...

on August 8, 1911, the son of Henry Chester Clements and Elizabeth Maude Duggin. He was educated at the high school in Revere and then attended

Baylor University Baylor University is a Private university, private Baptist research university in Waco, Texas, United States. It was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Te ...

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 1936. He then studied at the

Virginia Theological Seminary Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS), formally the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia, is an Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal seminary in Alexandria, Virginia. It is the largest and second-oldest such accredited se ...

, graduating in 1939 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. ...

. He married Helen Elizabeth Marie Jacobson on April 22, 1941 and together had two children. The couple divorced in 1960.

Ordained ministry

Clements was ordained deacon in July 1939 and priest on September 25, 1940 by Bishop Clinton S. Quin of Texas. He served as minister-in-charge of St George's Church in

Texas City, Texas Texas City is a city in Galveston County, Texas, United States, on the southwest shoreline of Galveston Bay. Texas City is a deepwater port on Texas's Gulf Coast, as well as a petroleum-refining and petrochemical-manufacturing center. The popu ...

between 1939 and 1942 and then as rector of All Saints Church in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

from 1942 until 1943. During

WWII World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he served as chaplain in the

United States Navy Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2004, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called reservists, are categorized as being in either the S ...

, commencing his service on February 19, 1943 until January 2, 1946. He then returned to parish ministry and became rector of Christ Church in

Tyler, Texas Tyler, officially the City of Tyler, is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, United States. As of 2020, the population is 105,995. Tyler was the List of municipalities in Texas, 38th most populous city in Texas (as well as the m ...

until 1950 when he became rector of St Mark's Church in Houston,Texas.

Bishop

Clements was elected bishop twice, first in 1949 as Suffragan Bishop of Minnesota, however, he declined the election. He was then elected Suffragan Bishop of Texas on April 13, 1956 and this time he accepted. He was consecrated on August 29, 1956 in Christ Church Cathedral by Presiding Bishop

Henry Knox Sherrill Henry Knox Sherrill (November 6, 1890 – May 11, 1980) was an Episcopal bishop. He was the 20th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church from 1947 to 1958, having previously served as Bishop of Massachusetts (1930–1947). Biography Henry K ...

. Clements' episcopacy as Suffragan Bishop ended with his resignation in November 1960 after sending a resignation letter to the House of Bishops. He officially resigned on December 31, 1960 and no reasons were given. He later served as Assistant Bishop in Texas and died of cancer in Houston on June 6, 1977."News Brief"
''Episcopal News Service'', June 16, 1977. Retrieved on June 5, 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clements, James 1911 births 1977 deaths 20th-century American Episcopal priests Episcopal bishops of Texas Baylor University alumni Virginia Theological Seminary alumni World War II chaplains