George Washington Freeman (June 13, 1789 – April 29, 1858) was the second

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 ...

bishop of Arkansas The Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas is part of the Episcopal Church in the United States and the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Diocese is organized into 56 congregations, with its diocesan office in Little Rock. The seat of the Bishop of Arkansa ...

and Provisional Bishop of Texas.

Biography

Freeman was born of a Congregationalist family in

Sandwich, Massachusetts Sandwich is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, and is the oldest town on Cape Cod. The town motto is ''Post tot Naufracia Portus'', "after so many shipwrecks, a haven". The population was 20,259 at the 2020 census. History Cape Cod wa ...

. He did not initially intend a career in the clergy, but he afterward went to

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

and studied for the ministry of the Episcopal Church. Freeman was ordained deacon in Christ Church,

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...

, by Bishop

John Stark Ravenscroft John Stark Ravenscroft (May 17, 1772 – March 5, 1830) was the first Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina and helped organize the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee. Early life Ravenscroft was born in 1772 on his family plantation near ...

in 1826, and was ordained priest in

New Bern, North Carolina New Bern, formerly called Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 29,524, which had risen to an estimated 29,994 as of 2019. It is the county seat of Craven County and t ...

the following year by the same bishop. Freeman married and later had a son, Andrew, who also became an Episcopal priest. In 1818, he married Anne Yates the granddaughter of Rev. William Yates, the

College of William & 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 ...

's fifth president (1761–1764) and is the namesake for Yates Hall on the college's campus;Woodson, p. 207Higginson, p. 252Stanard, p. 94 and a descendant of

William Randolph William Randolph I (bapt. 7 November 1650 – 11 April 1711) was a planter, merchant and politician in colonial Virginia who played an important role in the development of the colony. Born in Moreton Morrell, Warwickshire, Randolph moved to the ...

, a colonist and land owner who played an important role in the history and government of the

Commonwealth of Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States, Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United Stat ...

. He and his wife, Mary Isham, are referred to as the "Adam and Eve" of Virginia. She had married as her first husband, Thomas Gholson, Jr., an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

lawyer and politician. He represented

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 ...

from 1808 to 1816 in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from both

Virginia's 18th congressional district Virginia's 18th congressional district is an obsolete congressional district. It was eliminated in 1843 after the United States Census, 1840, 1840 U.S. Census. Its last Congressman was George Washington Hopkins, George W. Hopkins. List of mem ...

and

Virginia's 17th congressional district Virginia's 17th congressional district is an obsolete congressional district. It was eliminated in 1843 after the 1840 U.S. Census. Its last Congressman was Alexander H. H. Stuart. History Virginia's 17th congressional district was first ...

both now obsolete congressional districts. He was a member of the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

from 1806 to 1809. For two years he served as missionary in the diocese of North Carolina. In 1829, Freeman was elected rector of Christ Church, Raleigh, and served in that office until 1840. In 1840, Freeman removed to

Columbia, Tennessee Columbia is a city in and the county seat of Maury County, Tennessee. The population was 41,690 as of the 2020 United States census. Columbia is included in the Nashville metropolitan area. The self-proclaimed "mule capital of the world," Colum ...

, and from there, a year later, to

Swedesboro, New Jersey Swedesboro is a borough in Gloucester County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the borough's population was 2,584,New Castle, Delaware New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The city is located six miles (10 km) south of Wilmington and is situated on the Delaware River. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 5,285. History New Castl ...

. He was soon afterward elected missionary bishop of Arkansas and the Indian Territory, and was consecrated in St. Peter's Church,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, October 26, 1844. Freeman was the 46th bishop in the ECUSA, and was consecrated by Bishops

Philander Chase Philander Chase (December 14, 1775 – September 20, 1852) was an Episcopal Church bishop, educator, and pioneer of the United States western frontier, especially in Ohio and Illinois. Early life and family Born in Cornish, New Hampshire to o ...

Jackson Kemper Jackson Kemper (December 24, 1789 – May 24, 1870) in 1835 became the first missionary bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Especially known for his work with Native American peoples, he also founded parishes in wha ...

, and

Leonidas Polk Lieutenant-General Leonidas Polk (April 10, 1806 – June 14, 1864) was a bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana and founder of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Confederate States of America, which separated from the Episcopal Chur ...

. He received the degree of D.D. from 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 ...

in 1839. Freeman died in

Little Rock, Arkansas (The Little Rock, The "Little Rock") , government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager , leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_ ...

, April 29, 1858.

Notes

References

*Higginson, Thomas Wentworth ''Volume 2 of Harvard Memorial Biographies, Thomas Wentworth Higginson Civil War unit histories'' Publisher: Sever and Francis, 1866. *Saunders, Col. James Edmonds'' Early settlers of Alabama, Part 1'' New Orleans. Publisher: L. Graham & Son, Ltd., 1899. *Stanard, William G. ''The Virginia magazine of history and biography, Volume 7'' Richmond. Publisher: Virginia Historical Society., 1900. *Woodson, Henry Morton ''Historical genealogy of the Woodsons and their connections, Part 1'' Publisher: H. M. Woodson, 1915 {{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman, George Washington University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni People from Sandwich, Massachusetts 1789 births 1858 deaths People from New Bern, North Carolina 19th-century American Episcopalians Converts to Anglicanism from Congregationalism Episcopal bishops of Arkansas