George Zabriskie Gray (July 14, 1837 – August 4, 1889) was a notable clergyman, educator and theologian of the

Episcopal Church in the United States The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine provinces. The presiding bishop of ...

Early life

Gray was born in New York City on July 14, 1837. He was a son of Susan Maria (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Zabriskie) Gray (1814–1904) and John Alexander Clinton Gray (1815–1898), a dry goods merchant in New York City. His older brother was Albert Zabriskie Gray, warden of

Racine College Racine College was an Episcopal preparatory school and college in Racine, Wisconsin, that operated between 1852 and 1933. Located south of the city along Lake Michigan, the campus has been maintained and is today known as the DeKoven Center ...

, and his younger brother was jurist

John Clinton Gray John Clinton Gray (December 4, 1843 – June 28, 1915) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. Early life Gray was born on December 4, 1843 in New York City. He was the son of wholesale dry goods dealer John Alexander Clinton G ...

and his sisters were Katharine Gray (wife of Hackley Bartholomew Bacon) and Frances Susan Gray. He was of French-Huguenot and Polish descent. In 1858, when he was twenty years old, he graduated from the University of the City of New-York (which gave him an honorary D.D. in 1876), followed by preparations for the ministry at Alexandria Theological Seminary in Virginia from 1859 until 1861, but due to the

U.S. 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 ...

, the school was relocated to Philadelphia, where he completed his degree.

Career

On April 22, 1862, Gray was ordained deacon by Bishop

Horatio Potter Horatio Potter (February 9, 1802 – January 2, 1887), was an educator and the sixth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. Dearth of biographical information Potter "shrank from public notice, left no literary monument and has, regrettabl ...

, the sixth bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of New York The Episcopal Diocese of New York is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing three New York City boroughs and seven New York state counties.

, followed by ordination as priest a year later on January 22, 1863, also by Bishop Potter. Gray served as rector of St. Paul's Church in

Kinderhook, New York Kinderhook is a town in the northern part of Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 8,330 at the 2020 census, making it the most populous municipality in Columbia County. The name of the town means "Children's Corner" in th ...

and Trinity Church in

Bergen Point, New Jersey Bergen Point is a point of land that lends its name to the adjacent neighborhood in Bayonne in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. The point is located on the north side of Kill van Kull at Newark Bay. It is the section of the city close ...

. In 1876, he was appointed dean of

Episcopal Theological School 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 ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

(now

Episcopal Divinity School The Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) is a theological school in New York City that trains students for service with the Episcopal Church. It is affiliated with the Union Theological Seminary. Students who enroll in the EDS at Union Anglican st ...

) from 1876-1889. Gray was the author of several books, including ''Recognition in the World to Come'' (1875), ''Husband and Wife; or, the Theory of Marriage'' (1885), and ''The Children's Crusade: An Episode of the Thirteenth Century'' (1870).

Personal life

On June 19, 1862, he was married Kate Forrest (1841–1905), with whom he had two sons and a daughter, including: * Sarah Forrest Gray (1863–1933), who married George Zabriskie (1852–1931) * George Zabriskie Gray Jr. (1873–1895), a

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

student and member of

Scroll and Key The Scroll and Key Society is a secret society, founded in 1842 at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut. It is one of the oldest Yale secret societies and reputedly the wealthiest. The society is one of the reputed "Big Three" societies ...

who was secretary and treasurer of the Yale Yacht Club and who died from

appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these typical symptoms. Severe complications of a rup ...

in London at age 21. After suffering from

Bright's disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine, and was frequently accompanied b ...

for several months, Gray died at the Pavilion Hotel in

Sharon Springs, New York Sharon Springs is a village in Schoharie County, New York, United States. The population was 558 at the 2010 census. Its name derives from the hometown of the first Colonial settlers, Sharon, Connecticut, and the important springs in the village ...

where he had been spending the summer on August 4, 1889. His funeral was held at Saint Thomas Church in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

References

External links

*
Bibliographic directory
from

Project Canterbury Project Canterbury (sometimes abbreviated as PC) is an online archive of material related to the history of Anglicanism. It was founded by Richard Mammana, Jr. in 1999 with a grant from Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold, and is ho ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, George Zabriskie 1837 births 1889 deaths 19th-century American Episcopal priests Episcopal Divinity School faculty American people of Polish descent 19th-century Anglican theologians