Francis McNeece Whittle (July 7, 1823 – June 20, 1902) was the fifth Episcopal bishop of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Early and family life

Born at Millbank Plantation on the

Meherrin River The Meherrin River is a long 6th order tributary to the Chowan River that joins in Hertford County, North Carolina. A twenty-foot-high dam on the river creates a reservoir in Emporia. For most of its length, the Meherrin is not large enough f ...

in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, Francis was the next-to-youngest of the nine sons of Irish immigrant Fortescue Whittle (1778-1858) and Mary Ann Davies (1788-1869) of

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

, Francis Whittle attended the Episcopal High School in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

and after teaching for a while, entered and graduated from the

Virginia Theological Seminary Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS), formally called the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia, located at 3737 Seminary Road in Alexandria, Virginia is the largest and second oldest accredited Episcopal seminary in the Unit ...

(VTS)in 1847. The following year, on May 15, 1848, he married Emily Cary Fairfax, daughter of Wilson Cary Fairfax and Lucy A. Griffith. They had eight children, including three daughters and one son who predeceased their parents: Mary Anne at

Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg (along with the city of Colonial Heights) with Din ...

in 1862, Julia at her uncle's historic house ''Eldon'' in

Pittsylvania County, Virginia Pittsylvania County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 60,501. Chatham is the county seat. Pittsylvania County is included in the Danville, VA Micropolitan Statistical Ar ...

(later known as the estate of

Claude A. Swanson Claude Augustus Swanson (March 31, 1862July 7, 1939) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician from Virginia. He served as U.S. Representative (1893-1906), Governor of Virginia (1906-1910), and U.S. Senator from Virginia (1910-1933), befor ...

), Jane Eliza at

Hopkinsville, Kentucky Hopkinsville is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population at the 2010 census was 31,577. History Early years The area of present-day Hopkinsville was initially claimed in 1796 b ...

circa 1872 and Llewellyn Fairfax Whittle circa 1880. Surviving children included Lucy Tucker Whittle (b. 6 June 1849 in Charleston and who married John Nottingham Upshure of Norfolk, whose sole child Francis Whittle Upshure became a professor of medicine and pharmacology at the

Medical College of Virginia The VCU Medical Center is Virginia Commonwealth University's medical campus located in downtown Richmond, Virginia, in the Court End neighborhood. VCU Medical Center used to be known as the Medical College of Virginia (MCV), which merged with the ...

), Francis McNeece Whittle Jr. (1856- ?), Emily Clary Whittle and Fortescue Whittle, II (1852-1918).

Ministry

Bishop

William Meade William Meade (November 11, 1789March 14, 1862) was an American Episcopal bishop, the third Bishop of Virginia. Early life His father, Colonel Richard Kidder Meade (1746–1805), one of George Washington's aides during the War of Independence, ...

ordained Whittle as a deacon in St. Paul's Church in Alexandria, Virginia not long after his graduation from the seminary, and on October 8, 1848, ordained him as a Priest in St. John's Episcopal Church,

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 ...

. Whittle served in that parish another year, before being called to St. James Church, Wortham Parish in

Goochland County, Virginia Goochland County is a county located in the Piedmont of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its southern border is formed by the James River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,727. Its county seat is Goochland. Goochland County is includ ...

where he served from 1849 to 1852. Whittle then served in the

Shenandoah Valley The Shenandoah Valley () is a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge- ...

at Grace Church in

Berryville, Virginia Berryville is an incorporated town in and the county seat of Clarke County, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,185 at the 2010 census, up from 2,963 at the 2000 census. History Berryville was founded at the intersection of the Winche ...

from 1857 to 1858. He then moved to

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, where he served at St. Paul's Church through the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, although his family returned to Virginia. In 1867, Whittle received a theological degree from the Theological College of Ohio, and in 1873 a L.L.D. from the

College of William and Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III a ...

Episcopacy

Not long after the

General Convention The General Convention is the primary governing and legislative body of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. With the exception of the Bible, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Constitution and Canons, it is the ultimate authority ...

readmitted the Confederate bishops after the

, the clergy and laity of Virginia and West Virginia met in May 1867, and selected Whittle as Bishop

John Johns John Johns (July 10, 1796 – April 5, 1876) was the fourth Episcopal bishop of Virginia. He led his diocese into secession and during the American Civil War and later tried to heal it through the Reconstruction Era. Johns also served as Presi ...

' assistant. He was consecrated on April 30, 1868. Recovery from the devastation of the war preoccupied Bishop Whittle's episcopate, both as Bishop Johns' assistant and as his successor beginning April 4, 1876. With the help of his wife Emily, Whittle established various charitable institutions in Richmond. In 1875, he established the Protestant Church Home, and remained on its board of directors until his death in 1902 (Emily Whittle was the Home's first President, serving for at least 10 years from 1877)< Emily Whittle also established the first Richmond chapter of the

Young Women's Christian Association The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

. The Diocese of Virginia split twice during Whittle's episcopate. The Diocese of West Virginia was created in 1877 to correspond to the new state created during the Civil War. The Diocese of Southern Virginia was created in 1892, with the understanding that a further division would soon occur (and the Diocese of Southwest Virginia was created after bishop Whittle's death). In 1897,

Robert Atkinson Gibson Robert Atkinson Gibson (July 9, 1846 – February 17, 1919) was the sixth Episcopal bishop of Virginia. Biography Early life Robert Atkinson Gibson was born in Petersburg, Virginia to the founder and long-time rector of Grace Church, Rev. Churc ...

was elected as bishop Whittle's Coadjutor with right of succession (the previous assistants having moved to the Diocese of Southern Virginia or died) and soon consecrated. Although Bishop Whittle was known for his personal rectitude and lack of ostentation, by the end of his episcopate,

Jim Crow laws The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States. Other areas of the United States were affected by formal and informal policies of segregation as well, but many states outside the Sout ...

had restricted the participation of African-American Episcopalians within the diocese, and African-American Virginians within the Commonwealth. While Bishop Whittle in 1878 had established the

Bishop Payne Divinity School Bishop Payne Divinity School was a "racially" segregated Episcopal school for African-American ministerial students, in Petersburg, Virginia. It operated on Perry Street (1878–1886), West Washington Street (1886–1889), and finally South West ...

to prepare African-Americans for ordination (which ultimately merged with VTS) and ordained George Freeman Bragg as deacon in 1887 and as priest the following year, in 1899 the diocesan council approved restricting Bragg's voice (and that of other non-white clergy) to the Convocation of the Missionary Jurisdiction. Bishop Whittle also was active in sending missionaries to Brazil, and one of his last acts was signing a petition of clergymen opposing the war in the Philippines. However, he died disappointed that he had failed to stem the

Oxford Movement The Oxford Movement was a movement of high church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the University of O ...

within the Anglican Communion and within his diocese.

Death and legacy

Bishop Whittle was buried at Hollywood Cemetery, as was his wife Emily. His

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

house in Richmond, 21 West Clay Street, lies in the Historic

Jackson Ward Jackson Ward is a historically African-American district in Richmond, Virginia with a long tradition of African-American businesses. It is located less than a mile from the Virginia State Capitol, sitting to the west of Court End and north of B ...

neighborhood. The

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

's Southern Historical Collection holds the Whittle family papers. The "Little Georgetown" Church in

The Plains, Virginia The Plains is a town in Fauquier County, Virginia, United States. The population was 245 as of the 2020 census, up from 217 at the 2010 census. It is centered on the intersection of VA 55 (John Marshall Highway) and VA 245 (Old Tavern Road). The ...

, built in 1887, was organized as Whittle Parish after a dispute with nearby Grace Church.Don W. Massey, The Episcopal Churches of the Diocese of Virginia (Diocese Church Histories Publishers, Keswick, VA, 1989) p. 185

References

External links

Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whittle, Francis McNeece 1823 births 1902 deaths People from Mecklenburg County, Virginia People of Virginia in the American Civil War 19th-century Anglican bishops in the United States American people of Irish descent Episcopal High School (Alexandria, Virginia) alumni Virginia Theological Seminary alumni Episcopal bishops of Virginia