Philip Alan Smith (April 2, 1920 – October 10, 2010) was the seventh

bishop of New Hampshire The Episcopal Church of New Hampshire, a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America (ECUSA), covers the entire U.S. state, state of New Hampshire. It was originally part of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, Diocese of Ma ...

in the Episcopal Church.

Education

Smith was born on April 2, 1920, in

Belmont, Massachusetts Belmont is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. It is a western suburb of Boston, Massachusetts, United States; and is part of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, the town's population stood at 27,295 ...

, the son of Herbert Smith and Elizabeth McDonald. He was educated at Belmont High School after which he enrolled in a B.A course with

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

from which he graduated in 1942. During the war, Smith served as an officer with an Army antiaircraft unit in Europe and received the Bronze Star Medal. In 1949 he graduated 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 ...

from

Virginia Theological Seminary Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS), formally called the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia, located at 3737 Seminary Road in Alexandria, Virginia is the largest and second oldest accredited Episcopal seminary in the Unit ...

. Between 1957 and 1958 he studied at

St Augustine's College, Canterbury St Augustine’s College in Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom, was located within the precincts of St Augustine's Abbey about 0.2 miles (335 metres) ESE of Canterbury Cathedral. It served first as a missionary college of the Church of England (18 ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. He received his Doctor of Divinity from the Virginia Seminary in 1970.

Ordination

Smith was ordained deacon in June 1949 and priest in December 1949. His first assignment was as curate of All Saints' Church in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. Between 1952 and 1959 he served as rector of Christ Church in

Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,049 at the 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood. ...

and later became assistant professor of pastoral theology at

. In 1962 he was appointed chaplain of the seminary and in 1967 associate dean of students.

Bishop

Smith was elected Suffragan Bishop of Virginia in 1970 and was consecrated in the

Washington National Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral, is an American cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Washington, D.C., the cap ...

by the Presiding Bishop

John E. Hines John Elbridge Hines (October 3, 1910 – July 19, 1997) was a bishop in the Episcopal Church in the United States. When he was elected the 22nd Presiding Bishop in 1965, at the age of 54, he was the youngest person to hold that office, which ...

. In 1972 he was elected Bishop of New Hampshire. Smith was involved in the debates concerning the decision of the National Church to ordain women. He was also instrumental in the revision of the Prayer Book, and the production of the 1982 Hymnal. He retired in 1986. Smith died on October 10, 2010, at the Goodwin House retirement in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

after complications due to Lung cancer. He was married to Barbara Taylor Smith, who died in 2007, and together had 4 children, one of whom died in infancy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Philip Alan 1920 births 2010 deaths Virginia Theological Seminary alumni Harvard University alumni 20th-century American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of New Hampshire