John Seville Higgins (April 14, 1904 - December 28, 1992) was bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island The Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing the state of Rhode Island. It is one of seven New England dioceses that make up Province 1. The former Episcopal seat of the ...

, serving from 1953 to 1954 as coadjutor and from 1955 to 1972 as diocesan.

Biography

Higgins was born on April 14, 1904, in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. He studied at

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

and graduated in 1928. He trained for the ordained ministry at the

Western Theological Seminary Western Theological Seminary (WTS) is a private seminary located in Holland, Michigan. Established in 1866, it is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America, a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States. ...

and graduated in 1931. He was ordained deacon on May 1, 1931, and priest on November 1 of the same year. He served parishes in

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

and

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

and in 1948 became rector of St Martin's Church in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

. He was elected Bishop Coadjutor of Rhode Island in November 1952 and consecrated on February 4, 1953, by Presiding Bishop

Henry Knox Sherrill Henry Knox Sherrill (November 6, 1890 – May 11, 1980) was an Episcopal bishop. He was the 20th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church from 1947 to 1958, having previously served as Bishop of Massachusetts (1930-1947). Biography Henry Kno ...

. He succeeded Granville Bennett as diocesan Bishop of Rhode Island on January 1, 1955. During his time as bishop, particularly in the 50s, the diocese experienced rapid growth. Bishop Higgins was also instrumental in rebuilding of the diocesan headquarters in Providence. His spirit of ecumenism was effective in creating the Rhode Island State Council of Churches. He retired on June 1, 1972, and died 20 years later in 1992.

References

Episcopal Dictionary of the Church
1904 births 1992 deaths 20th-century American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of Rhode Island 20th-century American clergy {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub