Claude Edward Payne (born June 19, 1932) was the seventh

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

of the

Episcopal Diocese of Texas The Episcopal Diocese of Texas is one of the dioceses of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. The diocese consists of all Episcopal congregations in the southeastern quartile of Texas, including the cities of Austin, Beaumont, G ...

in The Episcopal Church between 1995 and 2003.

Early life and education

Claude Payne was born on June 19, 1932, in Abilene, Texas. He earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a private research university in Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranked among the top universities ...

in Houston and went to work for

Union Carbide Union Carbide Corporation is an American chemical corporation wholly owned subsidiary (since February 6, 2001) by Dow Chemical Company. Union Carbide produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers befo ...

. He later enrolled at

Church Divinity School of the Pacific Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP) is an Episcopal seminary in Berkeley, California. It one of nine seminaries U.S. Episcopal Church and a member of the Graduate Theological Union. The only Episcopal seminary located in the Far West, ...

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...

and obtained a Master of Divinity degree in 1964.

Ordained ministry

He initially served as assistant at Epiphany Church in

Kingsville, Texas Kingsville is a city in the southern region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Kleberg County. Located on the U.S. Route 77 corridor between Corpus Christi and Harlingen, Kingsville is the principal city of the Kingsville Micr ...

and chaplain at the

Texas A&M University–Kingsville Texas A&M University–Kingsville is a Public university, public research university in Kingsville, Texas. It is the southernmost campus of the Texas A&M University System. The university developed the nation's first doctoral degree in bilingual ...

. Later he became assistant priest at St Mark's Church in

Hudson, Texas Hudson is a city in Angelina County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,849 at the 2020 census. Geography Hudson is located in central Angelina County at (31.330062, –94.797360), adjacent to the western border of Lufkin, the county se ...

, before becoming rector of St Mark's Church in Beaumont, Texas. Between 1964 and 1975, Payne was also assistant to Bishop Scott Bailey. Payne served as the second Rector of St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas from 1983 to 1993. As rector of St. Martin's Church, Payne was the parish priest of George H. W. and

Barbara Bush Barbara Pierce Bush (June 8, 1925 – April 17, 2018) was First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993, as the wife of President George H. W. Bush, and the founder of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. She previously w ...

Bishop and retirement

On June 18, 1993, Payne was elected Coadjutor bishop of Texas on the sixth ballot, during a special convention held in Christ Church Cathedral. He was then consecrated

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

on October 9, 1993 at the George R. Brown Convention Center by Presiding Bishop Edmond L. Browning. He succeeded as diocesan bishop of Texas in 1995. Soon after he became diocesan bishop, Payne rededicated Christ Church Cathedral on September 17, 1995 after a major renovation. After his retirement in 2003, Payne moved from Houston to

Salado, Texas Salado ( ) is a town in Bell County, Texas, United States. Salado was first incorporated in 1867 for the sole purpose of building a bridge across Salado Creek. In 2000, the citizens of Salado voted in favor of reincorporation, before which it was ...

. In 2013, he received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the

Seminary of the Southwest Seminary of the Southwest (formally the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest and informally SSW) is an Episcopal seminary in Austin, Texas. It is one of nine accredited seminaries of the Episcopal Church in the United States. Seminar ...

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. He is married to Barbara Payne. In 2018, Payne participated in the Houston funeral services for first Barbara and then George H. W. Bush.

Bibliography

He is the co-author (with Hamilton S. Beazley) of ''Reclaiming the Great Commission: A Practical Model for Transforming Denominations and Congregations'' (2000) and the author of ''Reclaiming Christianity: A Practical Model for Spiritual Growth and Evangelism'' (2018).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Payne, Claude Edward 1932 births Living people American Episcopalians Rice University alumni American chemical engineers Church Divinity School of the Pacific alumni American Episcopal priests Episcopal bishops of Texas

Early life and education

Ordained ministry

Bishop and retirement

Bibliography

See also

References