John Henry Ducachet Wingfield (September 24, 1833 – July 27, 1898) was the first bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California, serving in that capacity from 1874 to 1898.

Early life and education

John Henry Ducachet Wingfield was born in

Portsmouth, Virginia Portsmouth is an independent city in southeast Virginia and across the Elizabeth River from Norfolk. As of the 2020 census, the population was 97,915. It is part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. The Norfolk Naval Shipyard and Naval M ...

on September 24, 1833, son of the Reverend John Henry Wingfield and Elizabeth Swepson. He was educated at St Timothy's College in Maryland from where he graduated in 1850 and taught there for two years. He then attended the

College of William & 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 ...

, winning a prize for best essay at the latter and graduating in 1853. After this he returned to teaching at St Timothy's for a year. He also earned a

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

from the

in 1869 and a Doctor of Law in 1874. He also studied at the Virginia Theological Seminary, graduating in 1858.

Ordained Ministry

Wingfield was ordained deacon on January 17, 1858 by Bishop

George W. Freeman George Washington Freeman (June 13, 1789 – April 29, 1858) was the second Episcopal bishop of Arkansas and Provisional Bishop of Texas. Biography Freeman was born of a Congregationalist family in Sandwich, Massachusetts. He did not initially ...

of Arkansas, and priest on July 1, 1859 by Bishop

John Johns John Johns (July 10, 1796 – April 5, 1876) was the fourth Episcopal bishop of Virginia. He led his diocese into secession and during the American Civil War and later tried to heal it through the Reconstruction Era. Johns also served as Presi ...

of Virginia. In July 1858 he became assistant to his father who was rector of Trinity Church in

and retained the position until 1864. He then became rector of Christ Church in Bel Air North, Maryland from 1864 until 1865, and then rector of St Paul's Church in Petersburg, Virginia from 1868-1875, where he founded the St. Paul's School for Young Ladies in 1871 and established a large school for the poor of the city.

Bishop

He was consecrated as missionary bishop of Northern California on December 2, 1874, but remained in charge of his parish in Petersburg, Virginia until April 1, 1875. He also became rector of St Paul's Church at

Benicia, California Benicia ( , ) is a waterside city in Solano County, California, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. It served as the capital of California for nearly thirteen months from 1853 to 1854. The population was 26,997 at the ...

in 1876 and head of St. Mary's of the Pacific, a school for girls. He was elected Assistant Bishop of Mississippi in 1882 however he declined the position. He died in

on July 27, 1898.

References

1833 births 1898 deaths College of William & Mary alumni People from Portsmouth, Virginia Episcopal bishops of Northern California 19th-century American clergy Virginia Theological Seminary alumni {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub