Ned C. Cole Jr. (February 6, 1917 – December 16, 2002) was bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Central New York The Episcopal Diocese of Central New York is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America encompassing the area in the center of New York state. It is one of ten dioceses, plus the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, ...

from 1969 to 1983, having previously been coadjutor bishop since 1963.

Biography

Cole was born in

California, Missouri California is a city in and the county seat of Moniteau County, Missouri, United States. The 2010 census has the population at 4,278. California is the third largest city in the Jefferson City, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area, as well as ...

on February 6, 1917, the son of Ned Cole Sr and Gladys Walser. He graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

from Westminster College in

Fulton, Missouri Fulton is the largest city in and the county seat of Callaway County, Missouri, United States. Located about northeast of Jefferson City and the Missouri River and east of Columbia, the city is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri, Metropolita ...

in 1939 and then studied at the

University of Missouri School of Law The University of Missouri School of Law (Mizzou Law or MU Law) is the law school of the University of Missouri. It is located on the university's main campus in Columbia, forty minutes from the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City. The sc ...

from where he graduated in 1940. Between 1940 and 1942 he was the secretary to Secretary of State of Missouri. Later he studied at the

Episcopal Divinity School The Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) is a theological school in New York City that trains students for service with the Episcopal Church. It is affiliated with the Union Theological Seminary. Students who enroll in the EDS at Union Anglican st ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

from where he graduated with a

Bachelor of Theology The Bachelor of Theology degree (BTh, ThB, or BTheol) is a three- to five-year undergraduate degree in theological disciplines and is typically pursued by those seeking ordination for ministry in a church, denomination, or parachurch organization. ...

in 1948. He was awarded 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 Westminster College in 1957. Cole was ordained deacon in June 1948 and priest that same year on December 5 at the Calvary Church in

Columbia, Missouri Columbia is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the county seat of Boone County and home to the University of Missouri. Founded in 1821, it is the principal city of the five-county Columbia metropolitan area. It is Missouri's fourth ...

by Bishop William Scarlett of Missouri. He served as curate of Calvary Church in

between 1948 and 1949. Later, he became rector of Grace Church in

Jefferson City, Missouri Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the capital of Missouri, United States. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 census, ranking as the 15th most populous city in the state. It is also the county seat of Cole County and the princip ...

and vicar of St Mark's Church in

Portland, Missouri Portland is an unincorporated community in southeastern Callaway County, Missouri, United States. It is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. Portland is located just north of the Missouri River on Route 94, approxim ...

. In 1956 he was appointed Dean of Christ Church Cathedral in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

in 1956. He also served as a member of the general board of the

National Council of Churches The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, usually identified as the National Council of Churches (NCC), is the largest ecumenical body in the United States. NCC is an ecumenical partnership of 38 Christian faith groups in the Uni ...

between 1963 and 1966 and a member of the legislative commission of the New York Council of Churches between 1964 and 1967 and acted as president between 1980 and 1983. Cole was elected Coadjutor Bishop of Central New York on November 22, 1963, on the fifth ballot, during a special convention that took place between November 21 and 22. He was consecrated on April 5, 1964, in

Saint Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

by Presiding Bishop

Arthur C. Lichtenberger Arthur Carl Lichtenberger (January 8, 1900 – September 3, 1968) was a bishop of the Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Church in the United States. He served as Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, Bishop of Missouri from 1952 to 1959, and as ...

. He succeeded as diocesan on February 1, 1969, and retained the post till his retirement in 1983. As a bishop he was vocal in support for the ordination of women in the priesthood. He died in

on December 16, 2002.

References

*''Episcopal Clerical Directory'', 2000

External links

Retired Bishop Passes Away
1917 births 2002 deaths People from California, Missouri Westminster College (Missouri) alumni University of Missouri School of Law alumni Episcopal Divinity School alumni 20th-century American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of Central New York 20th-century American clergy {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub