Kirkman George Finlay (October 1, 1877 - August 27, 1938) was the first

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of the

Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina The Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina (EDUSC) is a diocese in the Episcopal Church. Originally part of the Diocese of South Carolina, it became independent on October 10–11, 1922 following nearly two years of planning. The see city i ...

Background and early ministry

Kirkman George Finlay was born on October 1, 1877, to James Finlay and Marian Ponsonby Gun. A few years prior to his birth, Finlay's family came to

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

from

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by way of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Within months of arriving in Greenville, five of the eight Finlay children died of

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...

. James Finlay was financially well-off and, "as a gentleman farmer", operated a farm in Greenville named The Cedars. Finlay attended a

private school Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in Greenville, and later attended

Furman University Furman University is a private liberal arts university in Greenville, South Carolina. Founded in 1826 and named for the clergyman Richard Furman, Furman University is the oldest private institution of higher learning in South Carolina. It became ...

, receiving a

Bachelor of Literature Bachelor of Letters (BLitt or LittB; Latin ' or ') is a second undergraduate university degree in which students specialize in an area of study relevant to their own personal, professional, or academic development. This area of study may have been t ...

degree in June, 1899. Finlay's older brother, John, had studied for the ministry and had been ordained to the

diaconate A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

, but died before he could be ordained to the priesthood. Soon after his graduation from Furman, Finlay left for

Sewanee Sewanee may refer to: * Sewanee, Tennessee * Sewanee: The University of the South * ''The Sewanee Review'', an American literary magazine established in 1892 * Sewanee Natural Bridge * Saint Andrews-Sewanee School See also * Suwanee (disambiguati ...

. While at Sewanee, during the summer of 1901, Finlay met his future wife, Lucy Reed of

St. George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...

; they married on April 22, 1903, in

Clemson, South Carolina Clemson () is a city in Pickens and Anderson counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. Clemson is home to Clemson University; in 2015, ''the Princeton Review'' cited the town of Clemson as ranking #1 in the United States for " town-and-gown" ...

. Finlay's first

cure A cure is a substance or procedure that ends a medical condition, such as a medication, a surgical operation, a change in lifestyle or even a philosophical mindset that helps end a person's sufferings; or the state of being healed, or cured. The ...

was Holy Trinity, Clemson; additionally, Finlay was responsible for St. Paul's,

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; Ascension,

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; and St. John's, Walhalla. The couple's first son, James Alexander Finlay, was born in 1906, but died in October, 1907. Finlay was called as

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of Trinity Church in Columbia in 1907; he remained there for thirteen years. During his time at Trinity Church, he helped move the parish away from the renting of pews as a source of income, and instituted "the Every Member Canvass as the chief source of parish support". In June, 1918, Finlay was granted a leave of absence to serve in

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with the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

; he served for a total of seventeen months. Finlay returned from France in 1919, and was active politically when social justice concerns were debated in the state legislature. In 1920, Finlay was elected

bishop coadjutor A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co- ...

of the

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

, and he ended his term as rector of Trinity Church on December 31 of that year. He was

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

bishop on January 20, 1921, by Bishops Williams Alexander Guerry (South Carolina, and acting for the Presiding Bishop), Frederick F. Reese (Georgia), and Joseph B. Cheshire (North Carolina).

Episcopacy

As bishop coadjutor of the

Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina The Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina (EDOSC), known as The Episcopal Church in South Carolina from January 2013 until September 2019, is a diocese of the Episcopal Church. The diocese covers an area of 24 counties in the eastern part of the ...

, Finlay was responsible for the

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

region of the state. The diocese was divided in October 1922, and he became bishop diocesan of the

. During the 1920s and 1930s, Finlay was responsible for many endeavors to create churches and schools for

African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

. In 1928, he became

Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of the

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of the Voorhees Normal and Industrial School for Negroes at

Denmark, South Carolina Denmark is a city in Bamberg County, South Carolina, United States. The population at the 2010 census is 3,538. Geography Denmark is located in northwest Bamberg County at (33.321173, -81.142289). U.S. Route 78 and U.S. Route 321 cross in Denm ...

. By 1934, all but the two South Carolina dioceses afforded African Americans representation with a vote in diocesan affairs, and Finlay was working hard to change this; though the change was not approved in the 1934 diocesan convention, it was approved in the 1947 diocesan convention. Finlay was one of the church leaders instrumental in the creation of the

Kanuga Conference Center Kanuga Conference Center (Cherokee: ᎧᏄᎦ) is affiliated with the Episcopal Church, USA and the Anglican Communion. It is located on near Hendersonville, North Carolina, with scenic Kanuga Lake at its center. Yearly, more than 35,000 gu ...

in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Finlay died at Kanuga on August 27, 1938. He is buried in the churchyard of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Columbia, SC.

References

External links

Episcopal Diocese of South CarolinaEpiscopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finlay, Kirkman George 1877 births 1938 deaths People from Greenville, South Carolina Episcopal bishops of South Carolina Furman University alumni Episcopal bishops of Upper South Carolina