Harry Lee Doll (July 31, 1903 - August 27, 1984), was

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

of the Episcopal diocese of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

during the turmoil concerning civil rights for minorities and women in the 1960s.

Early and Family Life

A native of

Martinsburg, West Virginia Martinsburg is a city in and the seat of Berkeley County, West Virginia, in the tip of the state's Eastern Panhandle region in the lower Shenandoah Valley. Its population was 18,835 in the 2021 census estimate, making it the largest city in the E ...

, Doll graduated 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 ...

Williamsburg, Virginia Williamsburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 15,425. Located on the Virginia Peninsula, Williamsburg is in the northern part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. It is ...

, and then received a degree in theology after studies at 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 ...

, in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of downtown Washington, D.C. In 2020, the population was 159,467. ...

. He married Delia Gould Doll, a native of Alabama and described as "the personification of a Southern lady", in 1933, and they had three daughters.

Career

He was ordained deacon in October, 1932 by Bishop

William Loyall Gravatt William Loyall Gravatt (December 15, 1859 - February 14, 1942) became the second Bishop of West Virginia in the Episcopal Church in the United States, after serving as coadjutor to Bishop George William Peterkin. Early and family life Born in Port ...

of West Virginia, and priest in June, 1933 by Bishop Robert E. L. Strider Sr. Coadjutor of Maryland. After ordination, Doll served as assistant rector at Epiphany Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., then became rector of Christ Church,

, and rector of a large parish in Houston, Texas, before accepting a call as rector of Old St. Paul's,

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

in 1942. In 1955 Doll was elected and consecrated suffragan bishop for the Diocese of Maryland and served in that position for five years before being elected coadjutor to the popular Rt.Rev. Noble C. Powell. Five years later, Bishop Doll succeeded Bishop Powell upon his retirement. A strong supporter of civil rights, open housing and community revitalization, Bishop Doll joined with Baltimore's Catholic Cardinal

Lawrence Shehan Lawrence Joseph Shehan (March 18, 1898 – August 26, 1984) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Baltimore from 1961 to 1974 and was made a cardinal in 1965. Shehan was an advocate for civil rights ...

in 1966 to publicly support open housing legislation in testimony before the City Council, despite boos and jeers from the public gallery. A friend and supporter of Presiding Bishop John Hines, Doll also became a visible proponent of the controversial General Convention Special Program, which responded to poverty and injustice in America's ghettos. Along with Cardinal Shehan (with whom he worked closely on many issues) and the President of St. Mary's Seminary and University, in 1968 Bishop Doll founded Baltimore's Ecumenical Institute, and continued as a trustee. Bishop Doll also served as President of the Maryland Council of Churches. Rt.Rev. Doll retired in 1971 and was succeeded by David Keller Leighton, Sr., although he continued active in Episcopal Church affairs, including the revision to the

Book of Common Prayer The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...

adopted in 1979. He also strongly supported the ordination of women to the priesthood, and one of his daughters became a priest, Rev. Mary Chotard Doll. Harry doll grave

Death and legacy

Oddly, Bishop Doll died within hours of his longtime friend Cardinal Shehan, and their funerals were held on the same day; Rt.Rev. John E. Hines delivered the sermon at Bishop Doll's funeral. He is buried with his wife in St. Thomas Church's cemetery in Owings Mills, Maryland.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doll, Harry Lee 1903 births 1984 deaths Religious leaders from Martinsburg, West Virginia 20th-century American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of Maryland 20th-century American clergy Episcopalians from West Virginia College of William & Mary alumni Virginia Theological Seminary alumni