Theodore Dehon (December 8, 1776 – August 6, 1817) was the second

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 the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina.

Biography

Theodore Dehon was born in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

and graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

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 denominations, such as the Cathol ...

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 ...

Edward Bass 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 United States census, 2020 census. A historic seaport with a vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes p ...

, on December 24, 1797, and the next month began his call as rector of Trinity Church,

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

. He was ordained priest on October 9, 1800. After paying a visit to

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

he was offered positions in Charleston, 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 (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1817, he returned to Charleston but contracted yellow fever, 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, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

and 1st and 4th Presiding Bishop * Abraham Jarvis, 2nd bishop of

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

John Henry Hobart John Henry Hobart (September 14, 1775 – September 12, 1830) was the third Episcopal bishop of New York (1816–1830). He vigorously promoted the extension of the Episcopal Church in upstate New York, as well as founded both the General T ...

, CoadjutorThe Living Church Annual, 1948, pgs. 376-377 bishop of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Theodore Dehon was the 11th bishop consecrated for the Episcopal Church.

References and external links

Virtual American Biographies, edited from Appleton Encyclopedia

Material by and about Dehon
from

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, and is ...

* ''The Episcopal Church Annual''. Morehouse Publishing: New York, NY (2005).

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 {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub

Biography

Consecrators

References and external links

See also

References