Noble Cilley Powell (October 27, 1891 – November 28, 1968), was a prominent leader in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, who served as the ninth Bishop of Maryland.

Early life and education

Powell was born on October 27, 1891 in Lowndesboro, Alabama, the son of Benjamin Shelley Powell and Mary Irving Whitman. He was educated at the

Alabama Polytechnic Institute Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

between 1911 and 1915 and then at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

between 1915 and 1917. He then studied at the Virginia Theological Seminary and graduated in 1920 with a

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD or BDiv; la, Baccalaureus Divinitatis) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology ...

. He was awarded an honorary

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 ...

in 1930 by Virginia Theological, another by Sewanee: The University of the South in 1942 and another from Washington College in 1957.

Ordained ministry

Powell was ordained deacon in 1920, and priest on January 9, 1921 by Bishop

William Cabell Brown William Cabell Brown (November 22, 1861 – July 25, 1927) was an Episcopal missionary in Brazil who returned to his native Virginia to become the seventh bishop of Virginia. Biography Early and family life William Cabell Brown was born in Nelson ...

of Virginia. From 1920 to 1931 he served as rector of St Paul's Memorial Church, in

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...

, and also ministered during that period to students at the

, who knew him as "Parson Powell." In 1931 he became rector of Emmanuel Church, Baltimore. He became Dean of Washington National Cathedral and warden of the College of Preachers in 1937.

Episcopacy

In 1941 he was elected Coadjutor Bishop of Maryland and was consecrated on October 17, 1941 by Presiding Bishop

Henry St. George Tucker Henry St. George Tucker may refer to: * Henry St George Tucker (financier) (1771–1851), Bermudian financier and official of the East India Company * Henry St. George Tucker Sr. (1780–1848), U.S. representative from Virginia * Henry St. George ...

. He then succeeded Edward T. Helfenstein as diocesan in 1943, and was installed in the Cathedral of the Incarnation on November 21, 1943. He served as bishop of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

until 1963, when he was succeeded by

Harry Lee Doll Harry Lee Doll (July 31, 1903 - August 27, 1984), was bishop of the Episcopal diocese of Maryland during the turmoil concerning civil rights for minorities and women in the 1960s. Early and Family Life A native of Martinsburg, West Virginia, Dol ...

. Bishop Powell was married to Mary Wilkins Rustin in 1924. They had two sons, Philip and Thomas.

References

* David Hein, ''Noble Powell and the Episcopal Establishment in the Twentieth Century.'' Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2001 (hardcover); Eugene, Ore.: Wipf & Stock, 2007 (paperback). {{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Noble Cilley 1891 births 1968 deaths Auburn University alumni University of Virginia alumni Virginia Theological Seminary alumni People from Lowndes County, Alabama 20th-century American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of Maryland 20th-century American clergy