Clarence Alfred Cole (June 15, 1909 – April 11, 1963) was the third bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina The Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina (EDUSC) is a diocese in the Episcopal Church. Originally part of the Diocese of South Carolina, it became independent on October 10–11, 1922 following nearly two years of planning. The see city i ...

, serving from 1953 to 1963.

Early life and education

Cole was born in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, on June 15, 1909, the son of Carl Adams Cole and Blanche Margaret Mack. He was educated at public school of Washington, D.C., before studying at Benjamin Franklin University from where he earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in 1930. He also attended

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

and graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in 1933. He graduated with a

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD or BDiv; la, Baccalaureus Divinitatis) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology ...

in 1936 from the

University of the South The University of the South, familiarly known as Sewanee (), is a private Episcopal liberal arts college in Sewanee, Tennessee. It is owned by 28 southern dioceses of the Episcopal Church, and its School of Theology is an official seminary of ...

, and was awarded a

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

from the same university in 1954.

Ordained ministry

Cole was ordained deacon in June 1936 by Bishop

James E. Freeman James Edward Freeman (July 24, 1866 – June 6, 1943) was the third bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, serving from 1923 to 1943. Biography Freeman was born on July 24, 1866, in New York City. He was educated in public school in Ne ...

of Washington and priest in May 1937 by Bishop

Albert Sidney Thomas Albert Sidney Thomas (February 6, 1873 – October 8, 1967) was ninth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, serving from 1928 to 1944. His father was John Peyre Thomas, Sr. Early life and education Thomas was born on February 6, 1873 ...

of South Carolina. He married Catherine Tate Powe on June 1, 1938, and together had six children. He served as assistant rector of

Grace Church Grace Church may refer to: Canada * Grace Church on-the-Hill, Toronto China * Grace Church, Guanghan Poland * Grace Church, Teschen or Jesus Church, a Lutheran basilica in Teschen, Poland United Kingdom United States * Grace Cathedral (disam ...

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

, from 1936 till 1938, and then as rector of St Stephen's Church in

Oxford, North Carolina Oxford is a town in Granville County, North Carolina, United States, with a population of 8,628 as of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Granville County. History The town's history dates to 1761, when local legislator Samuel Benton built ...

. In 1941 he became rector of St Martin's Church in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, before becoming rector of St John's Church in

Charleston, West Virginia Charleston is the capital and List of cities in West Virginia, most populous city of West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Elk River (West Virginia), Elk and Kanawha River, Kanawha rivers, the city had a population of 48,864 at the 20 ...

on March 3, 1952.

Episcopacy

In May 1953, Cole was elected on the fifth ballot as Bishop of Upper South Carolina, during the 31st convention of the diocese. He was consecrated on October 20, 1953, in Trinity Cathedral in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city ...

. He died in office in

Providence Hospital Providence Hospital may refer to: *Providence Hospital (Columbia, South Carolina) *Providence Hospital (Mobile) in Mobile, Alabama *Providence Hospital (Southfield), Michigan *Providence Hospital (Washington, D.C.) in Washington, D.C. *Providence Al ...

, after suffering several heart attacks.

References

External links

Grave
1885 births 1963 deaths Christians from Washington, D.C. Sewanee: The University of the South alumni Duke University alumni Benjamin Franklin University alumni Episcopal bishops of Upper South Carolina {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub