Philander Chase (December 14, 1775 – September 20, 1852) was an
Episcopal Church 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 ...
, educator, and pioneer of the United States
western frontier
The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...
, especially in
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
and
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 ...
.
Early life and family
Born in
Cornish, New Hampshire
Cornish is a town in Sullivan County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,616 at the 2020 census. Cornish has four covered bridges. Each August, it is home to the Cornish Fair.
History
The town was granted in 1763 and contained a ...
to one of the town's founders, Dudley Chase, and his wife Allace Corbett, Philander Chase was the youngest of fourteen children, and ultimately survived all his siblings. His ancestors had been
Puritan
The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Catholic Church, Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become m ...
s who fled to New England. His father, a deacon at their local
Congregational
Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...
church, wanted one of his five sons to become a minister. As had three of his brothers (who however, had no inclinations toward ministry), Philander enrolled at
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...
. As a student, Chase became acquainted with the Book of Common Prayer and became a lay reader in the Episcopal Church. After graduating in 1795, he worked as a lay reader in various New England towns while studying for ordination. Thus, he helped establish
Trinity Church in his hometown. He studied with Rev. Thomas Ellison, rector of St. Peter's Church in
Albany, New York
Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...
, while supporting himself teaching at the newly organized city school.
He married Mary Fay, of
Hardwick, Massachusetts
Hardwick is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States, about west of the city of Worcester. It had a population of 2,667 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Hardwick, Gilbertville, Wheelwright and Old Furnace.
Hist ...
. They had three sons: Dudley, George (1797–?), and Philander (1800–1824) before her death (after many years of health problems) in May, 1818. Chase remarried to Sophia May Ingraham (1783–1864) the following summer and had three children, Henry (1820–1896), Mary (1822–1894) and Philander (1824–1872).
While Philander Chase was bishop of Ohio (as discussed below), his 12-year-old nephew,
Salmon P. Chase
Salmon Portland Chase (January 13, 1808May 7, 1873) was an American politician and jurist who served as the sixth chief justice of the United States. He also served as the 23rd governor of Ohio, represented Ohio in the United States Senate, a ...
became his ward (his father having died). Rev. Chase oversaw the younger man's education in
Worthington
Worthington may refer to:
People
* Worthington (surname)
* Worthington family, a British noble family
Businesses
* Worthington Brewery, also known as Worthington's
* Worthington Corporation, founded as a pump manufacturer in 1845, later a dive ...
. The younger Chase then entered
Cincinnati College
The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrol ...
and went on to become a statesman and jurist of note, including Chief Justice of the United States. His brother
Dudley Chase
Dudley Chase (December 30, 1771February 23, 1846) was a U.S. Senator from Vermont who served from 1813 to 1817 and again from 1825 to 1831. He was born in Cornish, New Hampshire.
Career
After graduating from Dartmouth College in 1791, he s ...
also achieved distinction (as U.S. Senator from Vermont), as did his nephew
Dudley Chase Denison
Dudley Chase Denison (September 13, 1819 – February 10, 1905) was a nineteenth-century politician and lawyer from Vermont. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives two terms, and was also a member of the Vermont Ho ...
(U.S. Representative from Vermont).
Ministry
On May 10, 1798, Bishop
Samuel Provoost
Samuel Provoost (March 11, 1742 – September 6, 1815) was an American Clergyman. He was the first Chaplain of the United States Senate and the first Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, as well as the third Presiding Bishop of the Epis ...
ordained Chase deacon at
St. George's Chapel on
Long Island, New York
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18th ...
, and also ordained Robert Wetmore to the priesthood. Both were assigned missionary duties in the state's northern and western parts Chase became one of only three Episcopal clergymen above the Highlands. Wetmore found himself unsuited to the rigorous travels, and settled at
Schenectady
Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...
, while Chase continued evangelizing on horseback, as well as baptizing, preaching and otherwise meeting the needs of widely scattered Episcopalians and other Protestants in the more rural areas—from
Troy
Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in prese ...
to
Lake George to
Auburn
Auburn may refer to:
Places Australia
* Auburn, New South Wales
* City of Auburn, the local government area
*Electoral district of Auburn
*Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region
*Auburn, South Australia
*Auburn, Tasmania
*Aub ...
and
Bloomfield. In 1798, he helped to organize the first congregation of Trinity Church in
Utica, New York
Utica () is a Administrative divisions of New York, city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The List of cities in New York, tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 ...
and the following year what would become
St. John's Episcopal Church, Canandaigua, as well as preached to the
Mohawk Mohawk may refer to:
Related to Native Americans
* Mohawk people, an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York)
*Mohawk language, the language spoken by the Mohawk people
* Mohawk hairstyle, from a hairstyle once thought to have been ...
in
Canajoharie
Canajoharie (), also known as the "Upper Castle", was the name of one of two major towns of the Mohawk nation in 1738. The community stretched for a mile and a half along the southern bank of the Mohawk River, from a village known as ''Dekanohage' ...
(where a church had been established by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel).
In 1799, the Rev. Chase accepted a position to serve congregations in
Poughkeepsie, New York
Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsi ...
and relatively nearby Fishkill. After the Rt. Rev. Provoost ordained him as a priest at St. Paul's Church in New York City on November 10, he called for his wife to join him. Chase then taught school in Poughkeepsie and served more than five years at Christ Church, which the Rt. Rev.
Samuel Seabury
Samuel Seabury (November 30, 1729February 25, 1796) was the first American Episcopal bishop, the second Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, and the first Bishop of Connecticut. He was a leading Loyalist ...
had founded as a mission more than three decades earlier (but whose Loyalist rector had left during the American Revolution).
In 1805 the Rev. Chase accepted a challenge to establish the first Episcopal congregation in Louisiana, becoming the founding
rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
of what ultimately became
Christ Church Cathedral, New Orleans. He and Mary had moved south hoping to cure her
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
. They left their children with relatives in New England. Despite the successful parish organization and profitability of his school, they missed their children. With a bank loan, Chase had purchased a 19-year-old slave named Jack for $500 to become their house servant.
After three months, Jack escaped, boarding a steamer bound for
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, "a hard blow and humiliating as well" for Chase.
In 1819, Jack returned to New Orleans and was captured; Chase, by then long gone from Louisiana, emancipated him rather than have him sold.
When Mary's health seemed to improve, and wanting to oversee the further education of their sons George and Philander (accepted at the
Cheshire Academy
Cheshire Academy is a selective, co-educational college preparatory school located in Cheshire, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1794 as the Episcopal Academy of Connecticut, it is currently the eleventh oldest boarding school in the United ...
), the Rev. Chase accepted a position as rector of Christ Church,
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
in 1811, where he would serve six years (his autobiography called them the "Sunshine Years").
However, Chase continued to feel a call to evangelize and remained deeply interested in the religious condition and prospects of the westward pioneers. He also disagreed on educational and other matters with Bishop Provoost's successor, the Rt. Rev.
John Henry Hobart
John Henry Hobart (September 14, 1775 – September 12, 1830) was the third Episcopal bishop of New York (1816–1830). He vigorously promoted the extension of the Episcopal Church in upstate New York, as well as founded both the General Th ...
. Thus, in 1817 the Rev. Chase traveled to
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
, and on March 16, 1817, preached his first sermon in the new state, at Conneaut Creek near
Salem. He continued to evangelize on the frontier building on the missionary work of the Rev. Dr. Joseph Doddridge in the Ohio Valley and the Rev. Roger Searle in the
Western Reserve
The Connecticut Western Reserve was a portion of land claimed by the Colony of Connecticut and later by the state of Connecticut in what is now mostly the northeastern region of Ohio. The Reserve had been granted to the Colony under the terms o ...
. Chase reached
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
in May, and helping to form what later became
Christ Church Cathedral. Chase bought a farm in the relatively new town of
Worthington
Worthington may refer to:
People
* Worthington (surname)
* Worthington family, a British noble family
Businesses
* Worthington Brewery, also known as Worthington's
* Worthington Corporation, founded as a pump manufacturer in 1845, later a dive ...
(founded 1803), agreed to serve five parishes nearby, and became principal of Worthington Academy. He then called his family to join him in Cleveland. The Rev. Chase chaired the first Episcopal convention in Ohio, which began on January 5, 1818. In May his wife died. In June, Ohio clergy (six) and laymen met again in Worthington and elected him as their bishop (an unfunded position).
Episcopacy
Chase traveled east for ordination that winter, but was initially forced to defend his character before the Standing Committee would give its assent. Elderly Presiding Bishop
William White led the consecration service at St. James Episcopal Church in Philadelphia on February 11, 1819, assisted by Bishop Hobart of New York, Bishop
Kemp of Maryland and Bishop
Croes Croes is a Dutch-language surname. It is one of the most common surnames in Aruba. People with this name include:
* Betico Croes (1938–1986), Aruban politician
* Evelyn Wever-Croes (1966), Aruban politician, First Female Prime Minister of Aruba
...
of New Jersey. He was the
18th
18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 and preceding 19.
In mathematics
* Eighteen is a composite number, its divisors being 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9. Three of these divisors (3, 6 and 9) add up to 18, hence 18 is a semiperfect number. ...
bishop consecrated in The Episcopal Church.
Bishop Chase returned on horseback to his diocese, conducting a service at
Zanesville
Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. It is located east of Columbus and had a population of 24,765 as of the 2020 census, down from 25,487 as of the 2010 census. Historically the state capit ...
on the
National Road
The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the Federal Government of the United States, federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the road connected the Pot ...
on February 28 and reaching his home in early March. Between June 1820 and June 1821, he preached 200 times, baptised fifty people, and confirmed another 175 while traveling 1,279 miles on horseback. The following year, he accepted the presidency of Cincinnati Academy, hoping to ease his fiscal crunch. Chase continued to build up the church in that state, lobbying for a seminary in his state (contrary to Bishop Hobart's belief that the
General Theological Seminary
The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church (GTS) is an Episcopal seminary in New York City. Founded in 1817, GTS is the oldest seminary of the Episcopal Church and the longest continuously operating Seminary in the Anglican Communi ...
in New York sufficed) and requesting missionaries from coastal states (
The Rev. Ethan Allen was among those answering the call).
[
In October 1823, Chase even sailed to England (armed only with a letter of introduction from ]Henry Clay
Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state, al ...
) to raise funds for his frontier diocese, especially his planned school and seminary. During his fundraising tour of the British Isles he was accompanied in his efforts by the Thomas Burgess, who was Bishop of St Davids
The Bishop of St Davids is the ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of St Davids.
The succession of bishops stretches back to Saint David who in the 6th century established his seat in what is today the city of St Davids in Pembrokeshire, f ...
and the founder of St David's College. The largest donation came from Jane, Dowager Countess of Rosse, while a collection of books was donated by Bishop Thomas Burgess. By the following July, they had raised nearly $30,000, and Chase started home. In November 1824 the Ohio convention authorized the seminary and the purchase of 8,000 acres in Knox County. In December, 1824 the Ohio Legislature chartered Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio. It was founded in 1824 by Philander Chase. Kenyon College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Kenyon has 1,708 undergraduates enrolled. Its 1,000-acre campus is se ...
and Bexley Hall seminary (named after major donors Lord Kenyon and Baron Bexley). The foundation was somewhat bittersweet, for Philander Chase Jr., who had become an Episcopal priest like his father and accepted a position in South Carolina, died.
Though Chase had initially donated his Worthington farm for the school, realizing it needed more land, he purchased 8000 acres in Knox County northeast of Worthington, naming the location Gambier after another major donor, Lord Gambier. Chase hoped to establish a self-sufficient community free of urban vices (such as drinking and dancing), which would help students focus on their studies. The new institution included a grammar school as well as a college, post office, grist and sawmill, farm and printing press. His wife Sophia not only cooked for the students, did their laundry and nursed them, but kept the school running during her husband's many fundraising trips. However, his management style proved controversial with the trustees (among others). Some did not believe a bishop should hold so many positions, so the Ohio Convention of 1831 asked him to relinquish some control. Instead, on September 9, 1831, Chase resigned his bishopric, as well as positions at the school and college. He was succeeded as Bishop and college president by Charles McIlvaine.
Chase then moved his family about twenty miles away, to a new farm he had purchased near Millersburg, which he called the "Valley of Peace". The following spring, the missionary call returned, and he moved his family to Gilead, Michigan and began evangelizing again.
Meanwhile, in 1835, Episcopalians who had moved further west had decided that they needed a separate diocese, and established the Diocese of Illinois. Although Chase did not participate in that convention, he accepted their call to be their bishop (the first Episcopal bishop of Illinois), and soon moved to near Peoria, Illinois
Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...
.
However, Chase still dreamed of establishing a self-sufficient rural college, and traveled to England first to raise funds for what became Jubilee College in Brimfield, Illinois
Brimfield (formerly Charleston) is a village in Peoria County, Illinois, United States.
The population was 868 at the 2010 census. Brimfield is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Brimfield is located at (40 ...
. The cornerstone was laid in 1839. Fundraising proved more difficult this time, so Chase undertook another tour, this time in the southern states while his cousin Samuel handled operations, his sons Henry, Philander and Dudley handled the farm and sheep, and his daughter Mary ran a small girls' boarding school. The chapel was finished in 1840–1. However, fire destroyed the saw and grist mill in 1849.
Meanwhile, Chase grew in seniority. In 1843, he became the sixth Presiding Bishop of the national church.
Death and legacy
Chase spent the final years of his life founding Jubilee College and the surrounding frontier community near present-day Peoria, Illinois
Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...
. On September 14, 1852, while riding with his wife in a carriage near their home, it overturned. Chase was thrown and suffered a concussion. He told those carrying him home, "You may now order my coffin, --I am glad of it!" He died in his sleep on the 20th, and was buried at Jubilee's cemetery.
The college faced financial difficulties after his death and closed within a decade. After service as a chaplain in the Civil War, Samuel Chase attempted to revive the college, but failed and sold off some land in 1871. However, the core of the college (other than the cemetery) was donated to State of Illinois, which restored some college buildings in the 1970s (after which it was declared a National Historic Site). Although the college buildings have generally remained closed since 2008 due to state budget cuts, the surrounding park remains open, including picnic and camping areas. His papers are held by Kenyon College.
The liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church (USA) remembers Bishop Chase annually on September 22.
Writings
* ''Christianity and Masonry Reconciled'' (1814)
* ''A Plea for the West'' (1826)
* ''The Star in the West, or Kenyon College'' (1828)
* ''Defense of Kenyon College'' (1831)
* ''A Plea for Jubilee'' (1835)
* ''Reminiscences: An Autobiography'' (First Edition, 1841), (Second Edition, 1848, various publishers in 2 volumes)
See also
*
* List of Episcopal bishops of the United States
The following is a list of bishops who currently lead dioceses of the Episcopal Church in the United States and its territories. Also included in the list are suffragan bishops, provisional bishops, coadjutor bishops, and assistant bishops ...
* Historical list of the Episcopal bishops of the United States
* Chase family
The Chase family is an American family whose members included early American pioneers and those involved in politics, the clergy, business and the military. Originating in Chesham, England, brothers Aquila Chase II and Thomas Chase journeyed to N ...
Notes
References
*
Further reading
* Laura Chase Smith, ''The Life of Philander Chase'' (New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., 1903)
External links
*
Who was Philander Chase?
Biography at Kenyon College
Papers of Philander Chase
Kenyon College project to put documents online
PhilanderChaseCorporation Land Trust Gambier, Ohio
*http://www.kenyon.edu/philanderchase.xml
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chase, Philander
Presiding Bishops of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America
American religious leaders
University of Cincinnati faculty
Presidents of the University of Cincinnati
Anglican saints
Dartmouth College alumni
People from Peoria, Illinois
Presidents of Kenyon College
1775 births
1852 deaths
19th-century Christian saints
19th-century Anglican bishops in the United States
People from Worthington, Ohio
People from Cornish, New Hampshire
People from Gambier, Ohio
Anglican lay readers
Episcopal bishops of Chicago
Episcopal bishops of Ohio
18th-century Anglican theologians
19th-century Anglican theologians
University and college founders