Francis Huger Rutledge (April 11, 1799 – November 6, 1866) was the first

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

Early life

Rutledge was born in

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 ...

, the son of Hugh Rutledge and Mary (Golightly) Rutledge.Batterson, 164 Francis spent his formative years either at his family's townhouse in Charleston or on their plantation in

Stateburg, South Carolina Stateburg is a census-designated place (CDP) in the High Hills of Santee in Sumter County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 1,380 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Sumter, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. St ...

. He graduated from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1820, and from the

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 1823.Batterson, 163 Rutledge was ordained deacon on May 9, 1823, by the Bishop of South Carolina

Nathaniel Bowen Nathaniel Bowen (June 29, 1779 – August 25, 1839) was the third bishop of South Carolina in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Biography Nathaniel Bowen was born in Boston, son of the Rev. Penuel Bowen. The family moved to So ...

, and began officiating at Christ Church the same year. He was ordained priest in St Paul's Church, Radcliffe, South Carolina, on November 20, 1825, by Bishop Bowen. He then moved to become 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 ...

, Sullivan's Island, in 1827. In 1840, Francis moved from South Carolina and took charge of Trinity Parish in Saint Augustine. In 1845, he moved to

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, Florida, Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In ...

and became rector of

St. John's Church St. John's Church, Church of St. John, or variants, thereof, (Saint John or St. John usually refers to John the Baptist, but also, sometimes, to John the Apostle or John the Evangelist) may refer to the following churches, former churches or other ...

Bishop of Florida

Rutledge was elected Bishop of the new diocese of Florida in 1851. He was the 53rd bishop in the ECUSA, and was consecrated by Bishops Christopher E. Gadsden,

Stephen Elliott Stephen Elliott may refer to: Entertainment *Stephen Elliott (actor), (1918–2005), American actor *Stephen Elliott (author) (born 1971), American author and activist Sport *Steve Elliott (footballer, born 1958), English footballer *Steve Elliot ...

, and

Nicholas Hamner Cobbs Nicholas Hamner Cobbs (February 5, 1796 – January 11, 1861) was a minister and evangelist of the Episcopal church who served as the first Bishop of Alabama from 1844 to 1861. Early and family life Nicholas Cobbs was born on February 5, 1796, ...

. When 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 ...

started, Rutledge was an advocate for secession, even agreeing to pay $500 to the state treasury as soon as the secession ordinance had passed. He died in 1866 and is buried in his native South Carolina.

Family

His family on both sides was wealthy and well established. His father, Hugh, was a lawyer and eventually served as Chancellor on the Court of Vice Admiralty in Charleston. Francis also had two uncles,

John Rutledge John Rutledge (September 17, 1739 – June 21, 1800) was an American Founding Father, politician, and jurist who served as one of the original associate justices of the Supreme Court and the second chief justice of the United States. Additiona ...

, who was governor of South Carolina as well as a chief justice of the United States, and

Edward Rutledge Edward Rutledge (November 23, 1749 – January 23, 1800) was an American Founding Father and politician who signed the Continental Association and was the youngest signatory of the Declaration of Independence. He later served as the 39th gover ...

, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and also a governor of South Carolina. Both his father and his uncle, Edward, would end up captured by the British during the American Revolution and were held as political prisoners in

Castillo de San Marcos The Castillo de San Marcos (Spanish for "St. Mark's Castle") is the oldest masonry fort in the continental United States; it is located on the western shore of Matanzas Bay in the city of St. Augustine, Florida. It was designed by the Spanish ...

, in Saint Augustine in 1780, a city that Francis would call home several decades later. His grandfather on his mother's side was Benjamin Huger, a major during the American Revolution. And finally, his uncle on his mother's side was

Francis Kinloch Huger Francis Kinloch Huger (September 17, 1773 – February 14, 1855), a trained physician and artillery officer, was a scion of the Huger family of South Carolina. A member of the South Carolina House of Representatives and South Carolina Senate, h ...

, a physician and artillery officer who was most well known for his failed attempt to rescue

Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemasonry, freemason and military officer who fought in the Ameri ...

from captivity in Austria during the French Revolution. He returned to America in 1798, only months before his sister Mary gave birth. While there is no written record to corroborate, many believe that Francis Rutledge was named after his daring uncle.

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rutledge, Francis 1799 births 1866 deaths Clergy from Charleston, South Carolina 19th-century Anglican bishops in the United States Yale University alumni General Theological Seminary alumni People from Sullivan's Island, South Carolina Episcopal bishops of Florida American slave owners