John Gardner Murray (August 31, 1857 – October 3, 1929) was the sixteenth presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. He was the first person elected to the position rather than succeeding to it automatically as the oldest bishop when his predecessor died.

Early and family life

Murray was born in

Lonaconing Lonaconing is a town in Allegany County, Maryland, United States, located along the Georges Creek Valley. It is part of the Cumberland, MD- WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,214 at the 2010 census. History The first non- ...

, Allegany County. His parents were both born in Scotland. The public schools of Lonaconing provided his early education. He attended the Wyoming Seminary in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

and Drew Theological Seminary in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. Murray's education was interrupted by the death of his father. He worked in mining and manufacturing from 1879 to 1892 in

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

and

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

. During these years, he kept active in serving his church. In 1881, he married Harriet M. Sprague. They married in

and took up residence in

. Their daughter Emeline was born there. In 1884, Mrs. Murray and Emeline drowned when the steamer Belmont capsized on the Ohio River during a cyclone. Five years later, Murray married Clara A. Hunsicker, of the same town in Kansas. Six children were born to this marriage.

Ministry

From 1893 onward, Murray devoted his career to church ministry. By April 1894, he was ordained a priest of the Episcopal Church in

Selma, Alabama Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, in the Black Belt region of south central Alabama and extending to the west. Located on the banks of the Alabama River, the city has a population of 17,971 as of the 2020 census. About ...

. He ministered in Alabama until 1903 when he moved to

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 1911, a convention of the

Diocese of Maryland The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland forms part of Province 3 of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Having been divided twice, it no longer includes all of Maryland and now consists of the central, northern, and western Maryland ...

elected Rev. Murray to succeed Bishop William Paret. Bishop Murray became the first elected Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church,"Murray, John Gardner"
''Episcopal Church''. Retrieved on 22 November 2019. serving from January 1, 1926, until his death on October 3, 1929. Bishop Murray was the 16th Presiding Bishop. Previous bishops had been assigned by convention by geographic rotation (1st through 3rd) or by seniority as a bishop (4th through 15th).

Death and legacy

He died in office in New York City in 1929, and is buried in Druid Ridge Cemetery in

Pikesville Pikesville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. Pikesville is just northwest of the Baltimore city limits. It is the northwestern suburb closest to Baltimore. The population was 30,764 at the 2010 cens ...

, Baltimore County, Maryland.

References

External links

* * * Presiding Bishops of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America Wyoming Seminary alumni Drew University alumni 1929 deaths 1857 births People from Lonaconing, Maryland American people of Scottish descent Converts to Anglicanism from Methodism Episcopal bishops of Maryland {{Anglican-bishop-stub

Early and family life

Ministry

Death and legacy

See also

References

External links