Elisha Smith Thomas (March 2, 1834 – March 9, 1895) was second bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Kansas The Episcopal Diocese of Kansas, established in 1859, is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America with jurisdiction over eastern Kansas. It is in Province 7 and its cathedral, Grace Cathedral, is in Topeka, as are the ...

from 1889 to 1895.

Early life and education

Thomas was born on March 2, 1834, in Wickford, Rhode Island, the son of Allen Mason Thomas and Charlotte Smith. He was educated at Yale University, graduating in 1858. In 1859 he taught in a 'Deaf and Dumb Asylum' in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, while in 1869 he spent time travelling around Europe. He then enrolled to study theology at

Berkeley Divinity School Berkeley Divinity School, founded in 1854, is a seminary of The Episcopal Church in New Haven, Connecticut. Along with Andover Newton Theological School and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, Berkeley is one of the three "Partners on the Quad," ...

and graduated in 1861. In 1887, Yale awarded him with an honorary

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Ordained ministry

Thomas was ordained deacon on May 17, 1861, by Bishop

Thomas M. Clark Thomas March Clark (July 4, 1812 – September 7, 1903) was an American Episcopal prelate who served as Bishop of Rhode Island between 1854–1903 and Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church between 1899 and 1903. Biography Thomas March Clark ...

at St Paul's Church in Wickford, Rhode Island, and then priest on April 5, 1862, at St Paul's Church in New Haven, Connecticut, by Bishop

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. On October 2, 1861, he married Georgine M. Brown. Between 1861 and 1864, he served as rector of St Paul's Church in New Haven, Connecticut, and then in 1864, he was elected rector of

Seabury Divinity School Seabury may refer to: * Seabury, Dublin * Seabury (name) *Seabury-Western Theological Seminary Seabury-Western Theological Seminary (SWTS) was a seminary of the Episcopal Church, located in Evanston, Illinois. It ceased operations as a resident ...

in Faribault, Minnesota, and in 1865 he became Professor of Biblical Exegesis and Hebrew. In 1869 he spent time abroad studying the Semitic languages. In 1870 he became rector of

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in Minnesota and in 1876 he transferred to Saint Paul, Minnesota, to become the rector of St Paul's Church.

Bishop

Thomas was elected Assistant Bishop of Kansas on the first ballot on February 2, 1887. He was consecrated on May 4, 1887, in St Paul's Church, Saint Paul, Minnesota, by Bishop Henry Benjamin Whipple of Minnesota. He succeeded as diocesan bishop on October 6, 1889. He died in office in 1895.

External links

Sermon Preached at the Consecration of the Rev. Elisha Smith Thomas
(1887)

References

1834 births 1895 deaths Berkeley Divinity School alumni Yale University alumni 19th-century American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of Kansas 19th-century American clergy {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub