Frank Elmer Wilson (May 21, 1885 – February 16, 1944) was an American bishop in the Episcopal Church. He was the first bishop of the

Diocese of Eau Claire The Episcopal Diocese of Eau Claire is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America encompassing the northwestern third of Wisconsin. It is part of Province 5 of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, Province ...

, serving from the creation of the diocese in 1928 until his death in 1944.

Early life and education

Wilson was born on May 21, 1885, in

Kittanning, Pennsylvania Kittanning ( pronounced ) is a borough in, and the county seat of, Armstrong County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is situated northeast of Pittsburgh, along the east bank of the Allegheny River. The name is derived from ''Kithanink' ...

, the son of the Reverend William White Wilson and Irene Mayhew Ladd. He graduated from Harvard Preparatory School in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in 1903 and later studied at Hobart College from where he earned 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 year ...

in 1907. He graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity from

General Theological Seminary The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church (GTS) is an Episcopal seminary in New York City. Founded in 1817, GTS is the oldest seminary of the Episcopal Church and the longest continuously operating Seminary in the Anglican Communi ...

in 1910. Hobart awarded him a

Doctor of Sacred Theology The Doctor of Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Doctor, abbreviated STD), also sometimes known as Professor of Sacred Theology (, abbreviated STP), is the final theological degree in the pontifical university system of the Roman Catholic C ...

in 1923, while the General Theological Seminary awarded him another in 1929. In 1929, he also received a Doctor of Divinity from

Nashotah House Nashotah House is an Anglican seminary in Nashotah, Wisconsin. The seminary opened in 1842 and received its official charter in 1847. The institution is independent and generally regarded as one of the more theologically conservative seminaries i ...

Ordained ministry

Wilson was ordained deacon on May 29, 1910, and priest later in the year by Bishop Charles P. Anderson of Chicago. He served as rector of St Ambrose's Church in

Chicago Heights, Illinois Chicago Heights is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 27,480 at the 2020 census. In earlier years, Chicago Heights was nicknamed "The Crossroads of the Nation". Currently, it is nicknamed "The Heights". Geogra ...

, and in 1923 as rector of St Andrew's Church in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. In 1915, he became rector of St Augustine's Church in

Wilmette, Illinois Wilmette is a village in New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. Bordering Lake Michigan and Evanston, Illinois, it is located north of Chicago's downtown district. Wilmette had a population of 27,087 at the 2010 census. The ...

, and in 1917 and 1918 he served as chaplain of the

American Expeditionary Forces The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought along ...

. In 1919, he became rector of Christ Church in

Eau Claire, Wisconsin Eau Claire (; ) (French for "clear water") is a city mostly located in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat, and with a small portion in Chippewa County, Wisconsin. It had a population of 69,421 in 2020, making it the stat ...

Bishop

Wilson was elected as the first Bishop of Eau Claire on November 21, 1928. He was consecrated on May 1, 1929, at Christ Church Cathedral by Presiding Bishop John Gardner Murray. He died in office February 16, 1944.

References

External links

Documents by Wilson
from Project Canterbury

References

1885 births 1944 deaths 20th-century American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of Eau Claire {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub