The Reverend Dr. Hutchens Chew (H.C.) Bishop (1859 - May 17, 1937) was an Episcopal priest who spent most of his career in

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. He was rector of St. Philip's Episcopal Church in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

for 47 years. The church is the oldest black Episcopal parish in New York. The church was founded by abolitionists who laid the first stone in 1819. He was born in Maryland, the son of William Henry Bishop III (1824-1906) and Elizabeth Chew Bishop (d. 1886), into an old and respected Episcopal family. His grandfather, William Bishop (1802-1870) was one of the twelve wealthiest men in Annapolis. His great-grandmother was Charity Folks, a notable Annapolis woman who lived there both as someone's property, a slave, and a property owning

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. In ''Protest and Progress: New York's First Black Episcopal Church Fights Racism'', author John H. Hewitt writes, He was the first black student admitted to the

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in New York. He graduated in 1881 and was ordained on April 24, 1882. He became rector of St. Mark's Church in Charleston in 1883. Hutchens was different than the majority of his minister peers. Historian William M. Welty comments that Dr. Bishop was a city boy, raised in an urban environment. Also, he and his parents were all free, and as the first black student in theology school, he was educated with whites. He married Estelle Gilliam of New York, a member of one of the most socially prominent black families, and of the St. Philip's congregation, in 1885. On January 1, 1886, he became rector of St. Philip's Church in New York City. He would continue in this role for the next 47 years, until 1933. His son, Shelton Hale Bishop (1889-1962), served as rector of the same church, with a dignified career in his own right. In 1910, Dr. Bishop worked with prominent Harlem businessman John Nail to purchase real estate for St. Philip's. White sellers were less likely to sell to a black man, so Dr. Bishop passed for white so as to complete the sale. All in all he purchased the land to build the current location of St. Philip's Church, along with 10 apartment properties. The state's first Black registered architect,

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, was commissioned by Dr. Bishop to design the new church building. In 1917, Dr. Bishop served as president of the historic

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, along with fellow New York clergy Rev. Dr. Charles D. Martin, who served as secretary. Dr. Bishop's church, St. Philip's, served as the coordination center for planning activities. He marched along with

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, and businessman John Nail.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bishop, Hutchens Chews 1859 births 1937 deaths Clergy from New York City African-American history in New York City African-American history between emancipation and the civil rights movement American human rights activists American anti-racism activists 19th-century American clergy NAACP activists African-American Christian clergy American Christian clergy American Episcopal priests 20th-century American Episcopal priests 20th-century African-American people