Henry Yates Satterlee
Encyclopedia
Henry Yates Satterlee was the first Episcopal Bishop of
Washington
, serving from 1896 to 1908. He established the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, popularly known as Washington National Cathedral
.
and Catharine, daughter of Johannes Mynderse and a grand niece of Joseph Christopher Yates, who was an American
lawyer, politician. statesman, and founding trustee of Union College
. He was also a descendant of Jellis Douwese Fonda
, who emigrated in 1642 to the Dutch colony of New Netherland (New York).
His uncle was Charles Yates
, a Brigadier-General during the American Civil War
. Charles' daughter, Stella Yates (November 23, 1866 - February 2, 1929), married on June 10, 1891, in New York City, Benjamin Brewster, the son of the Rev. Joseph Brewster and Sarah Jane Bunce. He was the Episcopal Bishop
of Maine
and Missionary Bishop of Western Colorado
.
in 1863, and in 1866 graduated from the General Theological Seminary
, New York City.
Bishop of Pennsylvania
.
of Calvary Church
, New York from 1882 until 1896 when he became the Bishop of Washington, D.C. While at Calvary, he had been active in mission work to the poor in the city's Lower East Side
. Satterlee gained international respect for his integrity and leadership and he also worked hard to promote the black clergy of the diocese. In 1888, he declined election as Assistant Bishop of Ohio and in 1889 declined election as Bishop of Michigan.
Washington
at Calvary Church, New York City. The presiding Bishop
and consecrator was Bishop John Williams of Connecticut. He was the first Episcopal Bishop of
Washington
, serving from 1896 to 1908. He established the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, popularly known as Washington National Cathedral
. He was responsible for acquiring its land atop Mt. Saint Alban in Northwest Washington
and overseeing its construction in the 14th century English Gothic style, envisioning the role of the cathedral
in state and world affairs.
in 1882 and from Princeton University
in 1896; and that of LL.D from Columbia University in 1897.
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, serving from 1896 to 1908. He established the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, popularly known as Washington National Cathedral
Washington National Cathedral
The Washington National Cathedral, officially named the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church located in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Of neogothic design, it is the sixth-largest cathedral in the world, the second-largest in...
.
Early life
He was born on January 11, 1843 at the corner of Greenwich and Carlyle Streets, New York City the son of Edward Satterlee and Jane Anna Yates, the daughter Henry Christopher Yates, an attorney-at-law; and for a number of years a New York State Senator and member of the Council of AppointmentCouncil of Appointment
The Council of Appointment was a body of the Government of New York that existed from 1777 to 1822.-History:...
and Catharine, daughter of Johannes Mynderse and a grand niece of Joseph Christopher Yates, who was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lawyer, politician. statesman, and founding trustee of Union College
Union College
Union College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as...
. He was also a descendant of Jellis Douwese Fonda
Eagum
Eagum is a village in the Dutch province of Friesland. It is located in the municipality Boarnsterhim, about 10 km south of the city of Leeuwarden.With about 30 inhabitants, Eagum is one of the smallest villages in Friesland....
, who emigrated in 1642 to the Dutch colony of New Netherland (New York).
His uncle was Charles Yates
Charles Yates
Charles Yates was a Brigadier-General during the American Civil War in command of the volunteer depot of New York City in 1861.-Biography:...
, a Brigadier-General during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Charles' daughter, Stella Yates (November 23, 1866 - February 2, 1929), married on June 10, 1891, in New York City, Benjamin Brewster, the son of the Rev. Joseph Brewster and Sarah Jane Bunce. He was the Episcopal Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Maine
Episcopal Diocese of Maine
The Episcopal Diocese of Maine is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America and encompasses the entire State of Maine. It is part of the Province of New England - Province I of the ECUSA...
and Missionary Bishop of Western Colorado
Episcopal Diocese of Western Colorado
The Episcopal Diocese of Western Colorado was a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America from 1892 to 1898 and from 1907 to 1919....
.
Education
He graduated from Columbia UniversityColumbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1863, and in 1866 graduated from the General Theological Seminary
General Theological Seminary
The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church is a seminary of the Episcopal Church in the United States and is located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York....
, New York City.
Marriage and personal life
He married on June 30, 1866, Jane Lawrence Churchill, the daughter of Timothy Gridley Churchill and Patience Lawrence. They were the parents of two children. Their son, the Rev. Churchill Satterlee, was a clergyman of the Episcopal Church. Their daughter, Constance Satterlee, married Frederick W. Rhinelander, the brother of Philip M. Rhinelander, the seventh EpiscopalEpiscopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
Bishop of Pennsylvania
Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania
The Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America encompassing the counties of Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, Chester and Delaware in the state of Pennsylvania....
.
Ordination
In 1866, he was ordained a deacon in the Protestant Episcopal Church, and a priest in 1867. He was assistant rector of Zion Parish at Wappinger's Falls, Dutchess County, New York, in 1865-'75, becoming its rector in 1875. He was rectorRector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of Calvary Church
Calvary Church (Manhattan)
Calvary Church is an Episcopal church located at 273 Park Avenue South on the corner of East 21st Street in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, on the border of the Flatiron District. It was designed by James Renwick, Jr., the architect who designed St. Patrick's Cathedral...
, New York from 1882 until 1896 when he became the Bishop of Washington, D.C. While at Calvary, he had been active in mission work to the poor in the city's Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
. Satterlee gained international respect for his integrity and leadership and he also worked hard to promote the black clergy of the diocese. In 1888, he declined election as Assistant Bishop of Ohio and in 1889 declined election as Bishop of Michigan.
Consecration
On March 25, 1896 he was consecrated the first Episcopal Bishop ofBishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
at Calvary Church, New York City. The presiding Bishop
Presiding Bishop
The Presiding Bishop is an ecclesiastical position in some denominations of Christianity.- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America :The Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is the chief ecumenical officer of the church, and the leader and caretaker for the bishops of the...
and consecrator was Bishop John Williams of Connecticut. He was the first Episcopal Bishop of
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, serving from 1896 to 1908. He established the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, popularly known as Washington National Cathedral
Washington National Cathedral
The Washington National Cathedral, officially named the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church located in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Of neogothic design, it is the sixth-largest cathedral in the world, the second-largest in...
. He was responsible for acquiring its land atop Mt. Saint Alban in Northwest Washington
Washington, D.C. (northwest)
Northwest is the northwestern quadrant of Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and is located north of the National Mall and west of North Capitol Street...
and overseeing its construction in the 14th century English Gothic style, envisioning the role of the cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
in state and world affairs.
Honors awarded
He received an honorary degree of D.D. from Union CollegeUnion College
Union College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as...
in 1882 and from Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in 1896; and that of LL.D from Columbia University in 1897.
Death
He died on February 22, 1908 in Washington, D.C. He is buried in the Bethlehem Chapel of Washington National Cathedral.List of works
He is the author of Christ and his Church (1878);Life Lessons of the Prayer Book (1890); A Creedless Gospel and the Gospel Creed (1894); New Testament Churchmanship (1899); The calling of the Christian and Christ's Sacrament of Fellowship (1902) and The Building of a Cathedral (1901).Further reading
- Schenectady County, New York: Its History to the Close of the Nineteenth Century Publisher: New York History Company, 1902.
- Men of Mark in America Biography & Portrait