Richard Bland Mitchell (July 26, 1887 - March 7, 1961) was the eighth bishop of
Arkansas in
The Episcopal Church
The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine Ecclesiastical provinces and dioces ...
and the thirteenth chancellor of
Sewanee: The University of the South.
An Episcopal camp and retreat center in central Arkansas is named for him.
Early life and education
Mitchell was born in
Rolla, Missouri on July 26, 1887, the son of Ewing Young Mitchell and Amanda Corinne Medley. His brother was
Walter Mitchell, who served as
Bishop of Arizona. He was educated at the Rolla public schools and then the Sewanee Grammar School in
Sewanee, Tennessee between 1901 and 1904. He then studied at the
University of the South from where he graduated with a
Bachelor of Arts in 1908, and 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 ...
in 1912. 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 the same university in 1931. He married Vivien McQuiston in 1915 and together had two children.
Ordained ministry
Mitchell was ordained deacon on June 12, 1912, at St Luke's Chapel in
Sewanee, Tennessee, and priest on June 24, 1913, in the Church of the Incarnation in
West Point, Mississippi, on both occasions by Bishop
Theodore DuBose Bratton of Mississippi. Between 1912 and 1915, he served as associate rector of St John's Church in
Aberdeen, Mississippi, the Church of the Incarnation in
West Point, Mississippi, Ascension Church in
Brooksville, Mississippi, the Church of the Resurrection in
Starkville, Mississippi
Starkville is a city in, and the county seat of, Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States. Mississippi State University is a land-grant institution and is located partially in Starkville but primarily in an adjacent unincorporated area desig ...
, Grace Church in
Okolona, Mississippi
Okolona is a city in and one of the two county seats of Chickasaw County, Mississippi, United States. It is located near the eastern border of the county. The population was 2,692 at the 2010 census.
History
Okolona was named as Rose Hill in 1 ...
, and Nativity Church in
Macon, Mississippi. Between 1915 and 1928, he held a number of positions in the administration of the Episcopal Church, including overseeing missions in Asia and Hawaii, national fundraising campaigns, and secretary to the national council. In 1929, Mitchell became rector of St Mary's in the Highlands Church in
Birmingham, Alabama, where he remained until 1938.
Bishop
Mitchell was elected Bishop of Arkansas in 1938 and was consecrated on October 5, 1938, in
Trinity Cathedral by his brother
Walter Mitchell.
"Richard Bland Mitchell (1887–1961)"
''Archives of the Episcopal Church''. Retrieved on June 1, 2021. His episcopacy is characterized with an increased financial stability, members, missions, and parishes. He also served as chancellor of the University of the South and chairman of its board of trustees from 1950 to 1956. Mitchell retired from Arkansas on October 5, 1956. He died on March 7, 1961, in Sewanee, Tennessee.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Richard Bland
1887 births
1961 deaths
People from Sewanee, Tennessee
Sewanee: The University of the South alumni
Sewanee: The University of the South administrators
20th-century American Episcopalians
Episcopal bishops of Arkansas
20th-century American academics