John Henry Hobart Brown
Encyclopedia
John Henry Hobart Brown (called Hobart; January 1, 1831-May 2, 1888) was the first Bishop
of the Diocese of Fond du Lac
in The Episcopal Church.
. After theological studies at the General Theological Seminary
, New York, he was ordained to the diaconate in Trinity Church, New York
on April 2, 1854 by Bishop Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright. The following year he was ordained to the priesthood in the Church of The Holy Communion, New York
, on the December 1, 1855 by Bishop Horatio Potter
.
In 1854, Brown served as Assistant in Grace Church, Brooklyn, Long Island, and while there organized The Church of The Good Angels, (now Emmanuel Church,) Brooklyn, of which he became rector. In 1856 he became rector of The Church of The Evangelists, (old S. George's Chapel,) Beekman Street, New York. In 1863, he became rector of St. John's Church, Cohoes, New York.
During his priesthood, Brown served as Secretary to the Diocesan Convention of Albany and as Archdeacon of the Albany Convocation. He received the Degree of Doctor of Sacred Theology from Racine College in 1874.
on December 15, 1875 at Cohoes, New York
by Bishops Horatio Potter, Henry Augustus Bissell, William Croswell Doane, William Woodruff Mies, Benjamin Henry Paddock, Edward Randolph Welles, and John Scarborough.
Brown lived up to the challenge of serving a diocese that had been carved out of the wilderness. According to a History of the Diocese "The Council addresses of Bishop Brown, read in the light of later years, are wonderful examples of the conceptions he had of his high office. He did not shirk to speak the truth. He seemed to have grasped the needs of his clergy, and the difficulties of his diocese which they had to face."
During his Episcopate, Brown established St. Paul's, Fond du Lac as his see city, set the groundwork for the establishment of a diocesan girls school, found a religious order, the Order of St. Moinica, shifting those congregations who still had pew rents to be "free churches", and worked to reach out to some disaffected groups of the Catholic Church, especially in trying to work with one René Villette
.
Bishop Brown died in office on May 2, 1888 and is buried in the churchyard of St. Paul's, Cathedral.
Diocesan bishop
A diocesan bishop — in general — is a bishop in charge of a diocese. These are to be distinguished from suffragan bishops, assistant bishops, coadjutor bishops, auxiliary bishops, metropolitans, and primates....
of the Diocese of Fond du Lac
Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac
The Diocese of Fond du Lac is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing the northeastern third of Wisconsin. The diocese contains more than 6,000 baptized members worshipping in 36 locations. It is part of Province 5 . Diocesan offices are in Appleton, Wisconsin...
in The Episcopal Church.
Early Life
Brown was born on January 1, 1831 in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. After theological studies at 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, he was ordained to the diaconate in Trinity Church, New York
Trinity Church, New York
Trinity Church at 79 Broadway, Lower Manhattan, is a historic, active parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of New York...
on April 2, 1854 by Bishop Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright. The following year he was ordained to the priesthood in the Church of The Holy Communion, New York
Church of the Holy Communion and Buildings
The Church of the Holy Communion and Buildings are historic Episcopal church buildings at 656-662 Avenue of the Americas at West 20th Street in the Flatiron District of Manhattan, New York City....
, on the December 1, 1855 by Bishop Horatio Potter
Horatio Potter
The Right Reverend Horatio Potter , was an Episcopal Bishop in the Diocese of New York.The youngest brother of Bishop Alonzo Potter, he was born near Beekman , Dutchess County, New York on 9 February 1802, to Quaker farmers Joseph and Anne Potter...
.
In 1854, Brown served as Assistant in Grace Church, Brooklyn, Long Island, and while there organized The Church of The Good Angels, (now Emmanuel Church,) Brooklyn, of which he became rector. In 1856 he became rector of The Church of The Evangelists, (old S. George's Chapel,) Beekman Street, New York. In 1863, he became rector of St. John's Church, Cohoes, New York.
During his priesthood, Brown served as Secretary to the Diocesan Convention of Albany and as Archdeacon of the Albany Convocation. He received the Degree of Doctor of Sacred Theology from Racine College in 1874.
Episcopate
Brown was elected Bishop of the newly organized Diocese of Fond du Lac, which was covered the northeastern third of Wisconsin and was formerly part of the Diocese of Wisconsin. Brown was consecrated first bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Fond du LacEpiscopal Diocese of Fond du Lac
The Diocese of Fond du Lac is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing the northeastern third of Wisconsin. The diocese contains more than 6,000 baptized members worshipping in 36 locations. It is part of Province 5 . Diocesan offices are in Appleton, Wisconsin...
on December 15, 1875 at Cohoes, New York
Cohoes, New York
Cohoes is an incorporated city located at the northeast corner of Albany County in the US state of New York. It is called the "Spindle City" because of the importance of textile production to its growth. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 16,168...
by Bishops Horatio Potter, Henry Augustus Bissell, William Croswell Doane, William Woodruff Mies, Benjamin Henry Paddock, Edward Randolph Welles, and John Scarborough.
Brown lived up to the challenge of serving a diocese that had been carved out of the wilderness. According to a History of the Diocese "The Council addresses of Bishop Brown, read in the light of later years, are wonderful examples of the conceptions he had of his high office. He did not shirk to speak the truth. He seemed to have grasped the needs of his clergy, and the difficulties of his diocese which they had to face."
During his Episcopate, Brown established St. Paul's, Fond du Lac as his see city, set the groundwork for the establishment of a diocesan girls school, found a religious order, the Order of St. Moinica, shifting those congregations who still had pew rents to be "free churches", and worked to reach out to some disaffected groups of the Catholic Church, especially in trying to work with one René Villette
Joseph René Vilatte
Joseph René Vilatte was, at different times, a Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Russian Orthodox and Jacobite...
.
Bishop Brown died in office on May 2, 1888 and is buried in the churchyard of St. Paul's, Cathedral.
See also
- List of Succession of Bishops for the Episcopal Church, USASuccession of Bishops of the Episcopal Church in the United StatesThis list consists of the bishops in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, an independent province of the Anglican Communion. This shows the historic succession of the episcopate within this denomination.-Key to chart:...
Sources
- A Sketch-book of the American Episcopate, Third Edition, by Hermon Griswold Batterson, (Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company. 1895.)
- The Episcopate in America, by William Stevens PerryWilliam Stevens PerryWilliam Stevens Perry was a 19th century bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America and an educator. He served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Iowa from 1876 - 1898....
, (New York: The Christian Literature Company. 1895.)
External links
- Documents by Brown from Project CanterburyProject CanterburyProject Canterbury is an online archive of material related to the history of Anglicanism. It was founded by Richard Mammana, Jr. in 1999, and is hosted by the non-profit Society of Archbishop Justus...