Thomas Henry Wright (October 16, 1904 – April 26, 1997) was fourth bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina The Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States that covers most of eastern North Carolina. The diocese was formed from the existing Diocese of North Carolina on October 9, 1883, by action of the ...

from 1945 till 1973.

Early life and education

Wright was born on October 16, 1904, in

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, eighth-most populous city in the st ...

, the son of John Maffitt Wright and Josie Young Whitaker. 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 ...

from Sewanee: The University of the South in 1926. He then worked as a clerk with the Standard Oil Corporation of New Jersey between 1926 and 1927. Later, he 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 ...

and graduated 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. ...

in 1930. On December 1, 1937, he married Hannah Hagans Knowlton and together had four children. He was awarded multiple honorary degrees of

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 the University of South in 1946, the Virginia Theological Seminary in 1946, the

Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University (Washington and Lee or W&L) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. Established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, it is among ...

in 1940 and the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

in 1965.

Ordained ministry

Wright was ordained to the diaconate in 1929 and to the priesthood in 1930. He was in charge of Trinity Church in

Lumberton, North Carolina Lumberton is a city in Robeson County, North Carolina, United States. As of 2020, its population was 19,025. It is the county seat of Robeson County. Located in southern North Carolina's Inner Banks region, Lumberton is located on the Lumbe ...

, between 1929 and 1930, and later assistant at the Chapel of the Cross in

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, Orange and Durham County, North Carolina, Durham counties, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 United States census, making Chapel Hill the List of municipa ...

, from 1931 to 1932. Subsequently, he was also chaplain at the

, until becoming national acting secretary of college work of the Episcopal Church in 1933. In 1934, he became chaplain at the

Virginia Military Institute The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is a public senior military college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1839 as America's first state military college and is the oldest public senior military college in the U.S. In k ...

and subsequently chaplain at

and rector of Robert E. Lee Memorial Church in

Lexington, Virginia Lexington is an Independent city (United States)#Virginia, independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, Virg ...

, three posts he retained till 1941. He became Dean of Grace Cathedral in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

in 1941, until resigning to accept the post of rector of St Mark's Church in

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

, in 1943.

Bishop

Wright was elected bishop on May 24, 1945, and consecrated on October 5, 1945, at St James' Church in

, by Presiding Bishop Henry St. George Tucker. He retired on December 31, 1973.

References

1904 births 1997 deaths 20th-century American Episcopal priests People from Wilmington, North Carolina Sewanee: The University of the South alumni Virginia Theological Seminary alumni Episcopal bishops of East Carolina {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub