Ned C. Cole Jr. (February 6, 1917 – December 16, 2002) was bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Central New York The Episcopal Diocese of Central New York is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America that comprises 14 counties in Central New York. It is one of ten dioceses, plus the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, that m ...

from 1969 to 1983, having previously been coadjutor bishop since 1963.

Biography

Cole was born in

California, Missouri California is a city in and the county seat of Moniteau County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 4,498. It is the largest city in Moniteau County and the third largest city in the Jefferson City metropolitan ar ...

on February 6, 1917, the son of Ned Cole Sr and Gladys Walser. 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 ...

degree from Westminster College in

Fulton, Missouri Fulton is the largest city in and the county seat of Callaway County, Missouri, Callaway County, Missouri, United States. Located about northeast of Jefferson City, Missouri, Jefferson City and the Missouri River and east of Columbia, Missouri, ...

in 1939. Then he studied at the

University of Missouri School of Law The University of Missouri School of Law (Mizzou Law or MU Law) is the law school of the University of Missouri. It is located on the university's main campus in Columbia, forty minutes from the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City. The s ...

from where he graduated in 1940. Between 1940 and 1942 he was the secretary to Secretary of State of Missouri. Later he studied at the

Episcopal Divinity School The Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) is an unaccredited theological school in New York City. Established to train people for ordination in the American Episcopal Church, the seminary eventually began training students from other denominations. T ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

from where he graduated with a

Bachelor of Theology The Bachelor of Theology degree (BTh, ThB, or BTheol) is a two- to five-year undergraduate degree or graduate degree in theological disciplines and is typically (but not exclusively) pursued by those seeking ordination for ministry in a church, de ...

in 1948, and was awarded 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 Westminster College in 1957. Cole was ordained deacon in June 1948 and priest that same year on December 5 at the Calvary Church in

Columbia, Missouri Columbia is a city in Missouri, United States. It was founded in 1821 as the county seat of Boone County, Missouri, Boone County and had a population of 126,254 as recorded in the 2020 United States census, making it the List of cities in Misso ...

by Bishop William Scarlett of Missouri. He served as curate of Calvary Church in

between 1948 and 1949. Later, he became rector of Grace Church in

Jefferson City, Missouri Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Missouri. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 United States census, ranking as the List of cities in Missouri, 16th most popu ...

and vicar of St Mark's Church in

Portland, Missouri Portland is an unincorporated community in southeastern Callaway County, Missouri, United States. It is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. Portland is located just north of the Missouri River on Route 94, appro ...

. In 1956 he was appointed Dean of Christ Church Cathedral in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

in 1956. He also served as a member of the general board of the

National Council of Churches The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, usually identified as the National Council of Churches (NCC), is a left-wing progressive activist group and the largest ecumenical body in the United States. NCC is an ecumenical partners ...

between 1963 and 1966 and a member of the legislative commission of the New York Council of Churches between 1964 and 1967 and acted as president between 1980 and 1983. Cole was elected Coadjutor Bishop of Central New York on November 22, 1963, on the fifth ballot, during a special convention that took place between November 21 and 22. He was consecrated on April 5, 1964, in

Saint Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...

by Presiding Bishop Arthur C. Lichtenberger. He succeeded as diocesan on February 1, 1969, and retained the post till his retirement in 1983. As a bishop he was vocal in support for the ordination of women in the priesthood. He died in

on December 16, 2002.

References

*''Episcopal Clerical Directory'', 2000

External links

Retired Bishop Passes Away
1917 births 2002 deaths People from California, Missouri Westminster College (Missouri) alumni University of Missouri School of Law alumni Episcopal Divinity School alumni 20th-century American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of Central New York 20th-century American clergy {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub