John Gardner Murray
Encyclopedia
John Gardner Murray was the sixteenth presiding bishop
of the Episcopal Church
. He was the first person elected to the position rather than succeeding to it automatically as the oldest bishop when his predecessor died.
Murray was born in Lonaconing, Allegany County, Maryland. His parents were both born in Scotland. The public schools of Lonaconing provided his early education. He attended the Wyoming Seminary
in Pennsylvania
and Drew Theological Seminary in New Jersey
.
Murray's education was interrupted by the death of his father. He worked in mining and manufacturing from 1879 to 1892 in Kansas
, Colorado
, New Mexico
and Alabama
. During these years, he kept active in serving his church. In 1881, he married Harriet M. Sprague. They married in Kansas
and took up residence in Alabama
. Their daughter Emeline was born there. In 1884, Mrs. Murray and Emeline drowned when the steamer Belmont capsized on the Ohio River during a cyclone. Five years later, Murray married Clara A. Hunsicker, of the same town in Kansas. Six children were born to this marriage.
From 1893 onward, he devoted his career to church ministry. By April of 1894, he was ordained a priest of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Selma, Alabama
. He ministered in Alabama until 1903 when he moved to Baltimore, Maryland.
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...
. He was the first person elected to the position rather than succeeding to it automatically as the oldest bishop when his predecessor died.
Murray was born in Lonaconing, Allegany County, Maryland. His parents were both born in Scotland. The public schools of Lonaconing provided his early education. He attended the Wyoming Seminary
Wyoming Seminary
Wyoming Seminary, founded in 1844 and currently led by President Kip P. Nygren, is a private college preparatory school located in the Wyoming Valley of Northeastern Pennsylvania, in Kingston and Forty Fort It is near the Susquehanna River and the city of Wilkes-Barre...
in Pennsylvania
Kingston, Pennsylvania
Kingston is a municipality located in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, on the Susquehanna River opposite Wilkes Barre. Kingston was incorporated as a borough in 1857. Kingston has adopted a home rule charter which became effective in January 1976. It is part of the greater metropolitan...
and Drew Theological Seminary in New Jersey
Madison, New Jersey
Madison is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the population was 16,530. It also is known as "The Rose City".-Geography:Madison is located at ....
.
Murray's education was interrupted by the death of his father. He worked in mining and manufacturing from 1879 to 1892 in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
and Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. During these years, he kept active in serving his church. In 1881, he married Harriet M. Sprague. They married in Kansas
Osage City, Kansas
Osage City is a city in Osage County, Kansas, United States. The population was 3,034 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Topeka, Kansas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Osage City is located at...
and took up residence in Alabama
Brierfield, Alabama
Brierfield is an unincorporated community in Bibb County, Alabama, United States. It was established in the mid 19th century and was the site of a major ironworks operation during and following the American Civil War. It is thought by scholars to be named in honor of Jefferson Davis' Brierfield...
. Their daughter Emeline was born there. In 1884, Mrs. Murray and Emeline drowned when the steamer Belmont capsized on the Ohio River during a cyclone. Five years later, Murray married Clara A. Hunsicker, of the same town in Kansas. Six children were born to this marriage.
From 1893 onward, he devoted his career to church ministry. By April of 1894, he was ordained a priest of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Selma, Alabama
Selma, Alabama
Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, Alabama, United States, located on the banks of the Alabama River. The population was 20,512 at the 2000 census....
. He ministered in Alabama until 1903 when he moved to Baltimore, Maryland.