James DeWolf Perry
Encyclopedia
James De Wolf Perry was an American
Episcopal
clergyman and prelate. He was the 7th Bishop of Rhode Island
(1911-1946) and the 18th Presiding Bishop
of the Episcopal Church
(1930-1937).
neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, to the Rev. James De Wolf Perry II and Elizabeth Russell Tyson. His father was rector
of Calvary Church in Germantown; he was also a descendant of Captain Christopher Raymond Perry
, Commodores Oliver Hazard Perry
and Matthew C. Perry, and Senators William Bradford and James De Wolf
.
After graduating from Germantown Academy
in 1887, he received Bachelor of Arts
degrees from the University of Pennsylvania
in 1891 and from Harvard University
in 1892. In 1895 he earned a Bachelor of Divinity
from the Episcopal Theological Seminary
. Perry was ordained a deacon by Bishop William Lawrence on June 9, 1895 and a priest on February 18, 1896. He then served as a curate at Christ Church in Springfield
, Massachusetts
until 1897, when he was named rector of Christ Church in Fitchburg
. During the Spanish–American War, he was chaplain of the 6th Massachusetts Infantry
from 1898 to 1904. In 1904 he was transferred to St. Paul's Church in New Haven
. He married Edith Dean Weir (daughter of John Ferguson Weir
) in 1908. They had three children: James, John, and Beatrice.
On September 21, 1910, Perry was elected the 7th Bishop of Rhode Island
at age 39. He received his consecration
on January 6, 1911 from Bishops Daniel Sylvester Tuttle
, Leigh R. Brewer, and William Lawrence.
During World War I
, he served as chief of Red Cross chaplains in France
from 1918 to 1919.
On March 26, 1930, Perry was elected the 18th Presiding Bishop
by the House of Bishops
. He was the last Presiding Bishop to retain his diocesan jurisdiction while serving in the national post.
In August 1930, he was chosen to deliver the farewell sermon at the Lambeth Conference
and invited to lay the cornerstone of St. Andrew's Cathedral in Aberdeen. Especially interested in foreign missions
, he once spent five months visiting mission stations in the Philippines
, China
, Japan
, and Hawaii
.
The French government awarded him the Legion of Honor
in 1934.
In a rare instance, he participated directly in politics in 1937 when he accepted an appointment to the Republican Party's Committee on Program, which was charged with drafting "a declaration of principles to redefine the party's stand on political and economic issues."
He retired as Presiding Bishop in 1937, and as Bishop of Rhode Island in 1946. Perry died at the age of 75 from a heart attack
while vacationing in Summerville, South Carolina
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Episcopal
Episcopal 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...
clergyman and prelate. He was the 7th Bishop of Rhode Island
Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island
The Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing the state of Rhode Island. It is one of seven New England dioceses that make up Province 1....
(1911-1946) and the 18th 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...
of the Episcopal Church
Episcopal 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...
(1930-1937).
Life
The third of five children, Perry was born in the GermantownGermantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Germantown is a neighborhood in the northwest section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, about 7–8 miles northwest from the center of the city...
neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, to the Rev. James De Wolf Perry II and Elizabeth Russell Tyson. His father was rector
Rector
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 in Germantown; he was also a descendant of Captain Christopher Raymond Perry
Christopher Raymond Perry
Christopher Raymond Perry was an officer in the United States Navy. He was the father of Oliver Hazard Perry and Matthew Calbraith Perry.-Early life:...
, Commodores Oliver Hazard Perry
Oliver Hazard Perry
United States Navy Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry was born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island , the son of USN Captain Christopher Raymond Perry and Sarah Wallace Alexander, a direct descendant of William Wallace...
and Matthew C. Perry, and Senators William Bradford and James De Wolf
James De Wolf
James DeWolf , nicknamed "Captain Jim", was a United States Senator from Rhode Island, a long-time state legislator and a successful Privateer during the war of 1812.-Biography:...
.
After graduating from Germantown Academy
Germantown Academy
Germantown Academy is America's oldest nonsectarian day school, founded on December 6, 1759 . Germantown Academy is now a K-12 school in the Philadelphia suburb of Fort Washington, having moved from its original Germantown campus in 1965...
in 1887, he received Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degrees from the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in 1891 and from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1892. In 1895 he earned a Bachelor of Divinity
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....
from the Episcopal Theological Seminary
Episcopal Divinity School
The Episcopal Divinity School is a seminary of the Episcopal Church based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Known throughout the Anglican Communion for prophetic teaching and action on issues of civil rights and social justice, its faculty and students have been directly involved in many of the social...
. Perry was ordained a deacon by Bishop William Lawrence on June 9, 1895 and a priest on February 18, 1896. He then served as a curate at Christ Church in Springfield
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
until 1897, when he was named rector of Christ Church in Fitchburg
Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Fitchburg is the third largest city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,318 at the 2010 census. Fitchburg is home to Fitchburg State University as well as 17 public and private elementary and high schools.- History :...
. During the Spanish–American War, he was chaplain of the 6th Massachusetts Infantry
6th Massachusetts Regiment (Spanish American War)
In early 1898, 6th Massachusetts was reconstituted as a unit of Volunteers to fight in the Spanish-American War, under the command of Colonel Edmund Rice. The unit should not to be confused with the 6th Infantry Regiment of Regulars, which also fought in the war, though in the Philippines and Cuba...
from 1898 to 1904. In 1904 he was transferred to St. Paul's Church in New Haven
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
. He married Edith Dean Weir (daughter of John Ferguson Weir
John Ferguson Weir
John F. Weir was an American painter and sculptor. He was the son of painter Robert Walter Weir, a professor of drawing at the Military Academy at West Point. His younger brother, J...
) in 1908. They had three children: James, John, and Beatrice.
On September 21, 1910, Perry was elected the 7th Bishop of Rhode Island
Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island
The Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing the state of Rhode Island. It is one of seven New England dioceses that make up Province 1....
at age 39. He received his consecration
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
on January 6, 1911 from Bishops Daniel Sylvester Tuttle
Daniel Sylvester Tuttle
Daniel Sylvester Tuttle was ordained a bishop of the Episcopal Church in 1866. His first assignment was as Bishop of Montana, a missionary field that included Montana, Utah, and Idaho.-Biography:...
, Leigh R. Brewer, and William Lawrence.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he served as chief of Red Cross chaplains in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
from 1918 to 1919.
On March 26, 1930, Perry was elected the 18th 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...
by the House of Bishops
House of Bishops
The House of Bishops is the third House in a General Synod of some Anglican churches and the second house in the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America.-Composition of Houses of Bishops:...
. He was the last Presiding Bishop to retain his diocesan jurisdiction while serving in the national post.
In August 1930, he was chosen to deliver the farewell sermon at the Lambeth Conference
Lambeth Conferences
The Lambeth Conferences are decennial assemblies of bishops of the Anglican Communion convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The first such conference took place in 1867....
and invited to lay the cornerstone of St. Andrew's Cathedral in Aberdeen. Especially interested in foreign missions
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
, he once spent five months visiting mission stations in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
The French government awarded him the Legion of Honor
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
in 1934.
In a rare instance, he participated directly in politics in 1937 when he accepted an appointment to the Republican Party's Committee on Program, which was charged with drafting "a declaration of principles to redefine the party's stand on political and economic issues."
He retired as Presiding Bishop in 1937, and as Bishop of Rhode Island in 1946. Perry died at the age of 75 from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
while vacationing in Summerville, South Carolina
Summerville, South Carolina
Summerville is a town in the U.S. state of South Carolina situated mostly in Dorchester County with small portions in Berkeley, and Charleston counties. It is part of the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville Metropolitan Statistical Area as designated for statistical purposes by the U.S. Office...
.