Samuel Johnson Howard (born ) is the eighth and current
bishop of the
Diocese of Florida in the U.S.
Episcopal Church. Howard was elected
bishop coadjutor
A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co- ...
on May 16, 2003, and entered office on January 29, 2004. He intends to retire in late 2023.
Early career
Howard was born on September 8, 1951, and is a
North Carolina native. He is a 1973 graduate of
Williams College in
Williamstown, Massachusetts, and has been married to his wife, Martha Marie, since 1974. They have two grown sons, Augustus and Charles.
Howard graduated from the
Wake Forest University School of Law
The Wake Forest University School of Law is one of the professional graduate schools of Wake Forest University. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Wake Forest University School of Law is a private American Bar Association (ABA) accredited ...
in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 1976. He practiced law in
Raleigh, North Carolina, from 1976 to 1986. He also worked on the staff of the Commerce Committee of the
United States Senate.
Religious career
Howard radically changed his career by returning to school and graduating from
Virginia Theological Seminary in
Alexandria, Virginia, with a
Master of Divinity
For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...
degree. He was ordained as a
deacon in June 1989 and a year later was ordained as a priest. His first position was assistant to the rector of the Church of the Holy Comforter in
Charlotte, North Carolina, then rector of St. James' Episcopal Church in
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
.
Rutgers University Andromeda project: Samuel Johnson Howard bio
Howard served as vicar of Trinity Church Wall Street from December 1997 until going to Florida in 2003.
See also
* List of Episcopal bishops of the United States
* Historical list of the Episcopal bishops of the United States
References
External links
Episcopal Diocese of Florida websiteSt. John's Cathedral website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Samuel Johnson
1951 births
Living people
American Episcopalians
American Episcopal priests
People from North Carolina
Williams College alumni
Wake Forest University School of Law alumni
Virginia Theological Seminary alumni
Episcopal bishops of Florida