Huntington Williams Jr. (October 27, 1925 – January 28, 2013) was suffragan bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina from 1990 to 1996.

Early life and education

Williams was born on October 27, 1925, in Albany, New York, the son of Huntington Williams, a doctor and future Baltimore Health Commissioner, and Mary Camilla McKim. He was educated at Calvert School and Gilman School, before matriculating at Harvard College in 1943. He then served with the 87th Infantry Division during WWII, notably during the Battle of the Bulge. He was also involved in the liberation of

Buchenwald concentration camp Buchenwald (; literally 'beech forest') was a Nazi concentration camp established on hill near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within Germany's 1937 borders. Many actual or su ...

. After the war, he was awarded the

Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

and Combat Infantryman Badge. He returned to Harvard and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1949. Afterwards, he enrolled at the Virginia Theological Seminary and graduated with a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

in 1952.

Personal life

He is the grandson of George Huntington Williams (and Mary Clifton Wood), who was a Mineralogist, Petrologist, and Professor of Geology at Johns Hopkins University. He is the great-grandson of

Daniel P. Wood Daniel Phelps Wood (November 5, 1819 in Pompey, New York, Pompey, Onondaga County, New York – May 1, 1891 in Syracuse, New York, Syracuse, Onondaga Co., NY) was an American lawyer and senator from New York (state), New York. He became Major Gen ...

(and Lora Celeste Smith) who was an American Lawyer and Politician from New York. He is the great-grandson of Robert Stanton Williams (and Abigail Obear Doolittle Williams) who became President of Oneida National Bank in 1886 and helped found the

Utica Public Library Utica Public Library is a historic library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materi ...

in 1893. Williams is related to

Talcott Williams Talcott Williams (July 20, 1849 – January 24, 1928) was an American journalist, author and educator. Williams worked as a journalist and editor for nearly four decades, including thirty years with ''The Philadelphia Press.'' Williams authored n ...

and Samuel Wells Williams. He is the great-great grandson of William Williams who served in the War of 1812 and was a Publisher and Journalist. He is the great-great-great grandson of Thomas Williams (and Susanna Dana) who was a participant in the Boston Tea Party. Williams is a direct descendant of Robert Williams (1607-1693) who embarked for Boston from England on the ship "Rose". His great-great grandfather, John McKim, founded McKim's Free School. Through his grandmother, Lydia Hollingsworth Morris, his great-great grandfather is Reverdy Johnson. Williams's father in-law, Sydney William Britton, was a British doctor and his mother in-law, Louise Weibel Britton, was the first female receipt of a higher law degree at McGill University. Williams's son, Huntington Williams III, is the former president of Merit Network, Inc., and previously served as the CEO of

Community of Science Community of Science was a collection of online databases, providing research information to both the public and subscribers, and services for the research community. It is owned by ProQuest. History Community of Science was founded in 1988 by ...

Inc. Williams's granddaughter, Caroline Grace Williams, was nominated NCAA Woman of the Year.

Ordained ministry

Williams was ordained deacon in June 1952, and priest in January 1953 by Bishop

Noble C. Powell Noble Cilley Powell (October 27, 1891 – November 28, 1968), was a prominent leader in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, who served as the ninth Bishop of Maryland. Early life and education Powell was born on October 27, 189 ...

of Maryland. His first post, in 1952, was as curate at St Thomas' Church in

Owings Mills, Maryland Owings Mills is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is a suburb of Baltimore. Per the 2020 census, the population was 35,674. Owings Mills is home to the northern terminus o ...

, before becoming assistant at St George's Church in New York City in 1954. Between 1956 and 1963, he served as rector of St Timothy's Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and between 1963 and 1990 served as rector of St Peter's Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Episcopacy

Williams was elected Suffragan Bishop of North Carolina in 1990 and was consecrated on April 28, 1990, by Presiding Bishop

Edmond L. Browning Edmond Lee Browning (March 11, 1929 – July 11, 2016) was an American bishop. He was the 24th presiding bishop and primate of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Education, ordination, early ministry Browning received his s ...

, in Duke Chapel. He retired in February 1996. Williams died on January 28, 2013, at The Stewart Health Centre of The Cypress in Charlotte, North Carolina.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Huntington 1925 births 2013 deaths Episcopal Church in North Carolina Harvard College alumni 20th-century American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of North Carolina Virginia Theological Seminary alumni United States Army personnel of World War II