William Charles Wantland (born April 14, 1934) is an American Anglican Bishop. He is a former Bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Eau Claire The Episcopal Diocese of Eau Claire was a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America encompassing the northwestern third of Wisconsin. It was part of Province 5 (the upper Midwest The Midwestern United States (also refe ...

Biography

Wantland was born in

Edmond, Oklahoma Edmond is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States. It is a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, located in Central Oklahoma. Its population was 94,428 according to the 2020 United States census, a 16% increase from 2010. maki ...

. He is of

Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...

Chickasaw The Chickasaw ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands, United States. Their traditional territory was in northern Mississippi, northwestern and northern Alabama, western Tennessee and southwestern Kentucky. Their language is ...

and

Choctaw The Choctaw ( ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States, originally based in what is now Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The Choctaw language is a Western Muskogean language. Today, Choct ...

descent. In 1973 Wantland, his, wife, and their children were declared citizens of the

Seminole Nation of Oklahoma The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma is a federally recognized This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes are legally recognized b ...

by adoption. Prior to becoming a member of the

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

, Wantland was a practicing

attorney Attorney may refer to: * Lawyer ** Attorney at law, in some jurisdictions * Attorney, one who has power of attorney * ''The Attorney'', a 2013 South Korean film See also * Attorney general, the principal legal officer of (or advisor to) a gov ...

. He served as municipal judge of

Seminole, Oklahoma Seminole () is a city in Seminole County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 7,488 at the 2010 census. Seminole experienced a large population growth in the 1920s due to an oil boom. History The city was platted in 1906 as a relocatio ...

and on the Seminole City Council. He also served as vice-mayor of Seminole. He was attorney general for the Seminole Nation from 1969 to 1972 and from 1975 to 1977. In 1971, Wantland was the executive director of Seminole Housing Authority, and he served as its attorney general from 1971 until 1977. Upon the advice of the Bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma The Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma dates back to 1837 as a Missionary District of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. The General Convention of the Episcopal Church recognized the Diocese of Oklahoma in 1937. The diocese consist ...

, Wantland became a

worker-priest Worker-priest () was a missionary initiative by the French Catholic Church in particular for priests to take up work in such places as car factories to experience the everyday life of the working class. A worker-priest was any priest who was "fre ...

at his local church. He later became a full-time priest. Wantland became Bishop of the Diocese of Eau Claire in 1980. During that time, he was honored by the

Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians The Lac Courte Oreilles Tribe () is one of six federally recognized bands of Ojibwe people located in present-day Wisconsin. It had 7,275 enrolled members as of 2010. The band is based at the Lac Courte Oreilles Indian Reservation in northwester ...

. He was embraced as one their own and was given the name 'Manido Nigani', meaning "He who stands forth in the Spirit", referencing his position as an Episcopal

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 ...

. After retiring from the Diocese of Eau Claire in 1999, Wantland helped to form the

Anglican Church in North America The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is a Christian denomination in the Anglican tradition in the United States and Canada. It also includes ten congregations in Mexico, two mission churches in Guatemala, and a missionary diocese in Cuba. ...

. He was a founding member of the ACNA House of Bishops and helped write the ACNA Constitution and Canons. Wantland also serves as Assisting Bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth is a diocese of the Anglican Church in North America. The diocese comprises 56 congregations and its headquarters are in Fort Worth, Texas. The diocese is divided in six deaneries, each headed by a dean, whic ...

. He became the first chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Seminole Nation in 2011. Additionally, Wantland has been a member of the faculty at the

University of Oklahoma College of Law The University of Oklahoma College of Law is the law school of the University of Oklahoma. It is located on the University's campus in Norman, Oklahoma. The College of Law was founded in 1909 by a resolution of the OU Board of Regents. Accordi ...

and Seminole State College. He is also a published author of a number of books.

Education

* Seminole High School -

* Seminole State College *

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

University of Hawaiʻi The University of Hawaiʻi System is a public college and university system in Hawaii. The system confers associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees through three universities, seven community colleges, an employment training center, ...

Oklahoma City University Oklahoma City University (OCU) is a private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The university offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, graduate master's degrees and docto ...

Oklahoma City University School of Law Oklahoma City University School of Law, also known as OCU Law, is the law school of Oklahoma City University. OCU Law is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and was founded in 1907. OCU Law was located in the Sarkeys Law Center on t ...

*Geneva-St. Alban's Theological College *

Canterbury Christ Church University Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) is a Public university, public research university located in Canterbury, Kent, England. Founded as a Church of England college for teacher training in 1962, it was granted university status in 2005. ...

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

*St. Deiniol's Library, now

Gladstone's Library Gladstone's Library, known until 2010 as St Deiniol's Library (), is a residential library in Hawarden, Flintshire, Wales, UK. Gladstone's Library is Britain's only Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Prime Ministerial Library and serves a ...

*College of Preachers

Family

Charles W. Wantland, Wantland's grandfather

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wantland, William 1934 births Living people 21st-century Anglican bishops in the United States American people of Chickasaw descent American people of Choctaw descent People from Edmond, Oklahoma People from Seminole, Oklahoma Religious leaders from Wisconsin Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America University of Oklahoma alumni George Washington University alumni University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni Oklahoma City University alumni Oklahoma City University School of Law alumni Alumni of Canterbury Christ Church University Alumni of the University of Cambridge Seminole State College (Oklahoma) alumni Nashotah House faculty University of Oklahoma faculty Oklahoma lawyers Oklahoma city council members Writers from Oklahoma Writers from Wisconsin Native American Episcopalians American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of Eau Claire Episcopal bishops of Navajoland Seminole Nation of Oklahoma people