Theodore Dehon (December 8, 1776 – August 6, 1817) was the second
bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...
of the
Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina.
Biography
Theodore Dehon was born in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...
and graduated from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
in 1795. He was ordained
deacon
A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...
by
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...
Edward Bass
Edward Bass (November 23, 1726 in Dorchester, Massachusetts – September 10, 1803 in Newburyport, Massachusetts) was the first American Episcopal bishop of the Diocese of Massachusetts and second bishop of the Diocese of Rhode Island.
Biogra ...
in
Newburyport, Massachusetts
Newburyport is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, northeast of Boston. The population was 18,289 at the 2020 census. A historic seaport with vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island. The m ...
, on December 24, 1797, and the next month began his call as rector of
Trinity Church,
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New ...
. He was ordained priest on October 9, 1800.
After paying a visit to
South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = "Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = G ...
he was offered positions in
Charleston
Charleston most commonly refers to:
* Charleston, South Carolina
* Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital
* Charleston (dance)
Charleston may also refer to:
Places Australia
* Charleston, South Australia
Canada
* Charleston, Newfoundlan ...
, but demurred until 1810, when he accepted a position as rector of
St. Michael's Church, Charleston. He was elected
diocesan bishop in February 1812 and was consecrated on October 15, 1812. After the
General Convention in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
in 1817, he returned to Charleston but contracted
yellow fever
Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...
, dying August 6. He was buried at St. Michael's Church. His writings met with some posthumous success.
His obituary in the ''Essex Register'' of Saturday 23 August 1817 reads: "To our bill of mortality we have to add the death of the Right Reverend Theodore Dehon, D.D aged 41, Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the English Communion, in S. Carolina, on the 6th instant. This amiable man and truly Christian Bishop was born in Boston, and graduated at Cambridge in 1795. He succeeded Bishop Robert Smith, who died in 1801, but not immediately, but in 1812. To a suavity of manners, correct elocution, and a soul of devotion, he added the purity and best accomplishments of life, a just taste, and an excellent judgement, with an extensive knowledge of the duties and the studies of his profession."
Consecrators
*
William White, 1st bishop of
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...
and 1st and 4th
Presiding Bishop
*
Abraham Jarvis
Abraham Jarvis (May 5, 1739 – May 3, 1813) was the second American Episcopal bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut and eighth in succession of bishops in the Episcopal Church. He was a high churchman and a loyalist to the crown.
...
, 2nd bishop of
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
*
John Henry Hobart, Coadjutor
[The Living Church Annual, 1948, pgs. 376-377] bishop of
New York
Theodore Dehon was the
11th
11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables.
Name
"Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first attested i ...
bishop consecrated for the
Episcopal Church.
References and external links
Virtual American Biographies, edited from Appleton EncyclopediaMaterial by and about Dehonfrom
Project Canterbury Project Canterbury (sometimes abbreviated as PC) is an online archive of material related to the history of Anglicanism. It was founded by Richard Mammana, Jr. in 1999 with a grant from Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold
Frank T ...
* ''The Episcopal Church Annual''. Morehouse Publishing: New York, NY (2005).
See also
*
Succession of Bishops of the Episcopal Church in the United States
References
1776 births
1817 deaths
Deaths from yellow fever
Clergy from Boston
Clergy from Charleston, South Carolina
Harvard College alumni
Episcopal bishops of South Carolina
Infectious disease deaths in South Carolina
19th-century Anglican bishops in the United States
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