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Leonard James Beecher (21 May 190616 December 1987) was an English-born Anglican archbishop. He was the first archbishop of the Province of East Africa, comprising
Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...
and
Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
, from 1960 to 1970.


Education and training

He was educated at St Olave's Grammar School and
Imperial College London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...
and ordained in 1929.


Missionary in Africa

He was a missionary of the Church Mission Society in the Diocese of Mombasa from 1930, working in the Highlands. He was appointed Archdeacon of
Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of the British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...
and a
Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...
(both 1945–1953) and an Assistant Bishop of Mombasa: he was consecrated a bishop on St James's Day 1950 (25 July) by
Geoffrey Fisher Geoffrey Francis Fisher, Baron Fisher of Lambeth, (5 May 1887 – 15 September 1972) was an English Anglican priest, and 99th Archbishop of Canterbury, serving from 1945 to 1961. From a long line of parish priests, Fisher was educated at Marlb ...
, Archbishop of Canterbury, at St Paul's Cathedral. He became
diocesan In 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 provinces were administratively associat ...
Bishop of Mombasa The Anglican dioceses of Mombasa are the Anglican presence in and around Mombasa and south-east Kenya; they are part of the Anglican Church of Kenya. The remaining dioceses of the Church are in the areas of Maseno, of Mount Kenya, and of Nakuru. ...
in 1953 and — additionally — Archbishop of the Province of East Africa, from 1960 to 1970: he was elected (by the House of Bishops of the province-to-be) to serve as the first archbishop in April 1960 and installed by
Geoffrey Fisher Geoffrey Francis Fisher, Baron Fisher of Lambeth, (5 May 1887 – 15 September 1972) was an English Anglican priest, and 99th Archbishop of Canterbury, serving from 1945 to 1961. From a long line of parish priests, Fisher was educated at Marlb ...
, Archbishop of Canterbury, at the new province's inauguration service on 3 August 1960 at
Dar-es-Salaam Dar es Salaam (; from ar, دَار السَّلَام, Dâr es-Selâm, lit=Abode of Peace) or commonly known as Dar, is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over s ...
.


Later life

A prominent member of the
Royal African Society The Royal African Society (RAS) of the United Kingdom was founded in 1901 to promote relations between the United Kingdom and countries in Africa. The RAS is a not-for-profit membership organisation based in London. In addition to producing its jour ...
, he retired in 1970 and died on 16 December 1987. He is buried in the
cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...
at All Saints,
Limuru Limuru is a town in central Kenya. It is also the name of a parliamentary constituency and an administrative division. The population of the town, as of 2004, was about 4,800. In a census taken in 2019 the population had increased to 159,314. Loc ...
.Photo of grave
/ref>


References

1906 births 1987 deaths 20th-century Anglican archbishops Alumni of Imperial College London Anglican archbishops of East Africa Archdeacons of Mombasa Associates of the Royal College of Science Anglican bishops of Mombasa Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George English Anglicans Holders of a Lambeth degree People educated at St Olave's Grammar School Anglican bishops of Nairobi {{England-bishop-stub