Randolph Royall Claiborne Jr. (November 7, 1906 - February 22, 1986) was the 5th

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 ...

of the

Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, with jurisdiction over middle and north Georgia. It is in Province IV of the Episcopal Church and its cathedral, the Cathedral of St. Phi ...

, elected in 1952. Previously he had served as

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 ...

Suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdictiona ...

in the

Episcopal Diocese of Alabama The Episcopal Diocese of Alabama is located in Province IV of the Episcopal Church and serves the state of Alabama with the exception of the extreme southern region, including Mobile, which forms part of the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast ...

Background

Randolph was born November 7, 1906, to the Reverend Randolph Royall Claiborne, vicar of the Episcopal Church in

Farmville, Virginia Farmville is a town in Prince Edward and Cumberland counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 8,216 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Prince Edward County. Farmville developed near the headwaters of the Appomattox R ...

, and Mary Thomas Clark. The Claiborne family moved to

Marietta, Georgia Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Cobb County, Georgia, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 60,972. The 2019 estimate was 60,867, making it one of Atlanta's largest suburbs. Marietta is the fourth largest ...

, where Randolph Sr. would serve as

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 ...

at St James' Church. Randolph Jr. attended 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 ...

, receiving his bachelor's degree in 1928. He then attended

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 ...

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

, receiving his

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

in 1931. He was ordained deacon in June 1931 by Bishop Gravatt and priest in January 1932 by Bishop Mikell. From 1932 to 1938, he served as

of St James' Church,

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of Geo ...

. From there he moved to Church of the Nativity in

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in t ...

, serving from 1938 to 1949 as rector. In 1949, he was elected bishop suffragan of

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

. In 1952, he was chosen to serve as the fifth bishop of Atlanta. He was installed as diocesan bishop at a service held in St. Peter's Church in Rome, Georgia. According to C.J. Wyatt's history of St. Peter's Church this was so that he could say he had been consecrated at "St. Peter's in Rome." Bishop Clairborne told the Annual Council Meeting of the diocese that met the weekend of his consecration of his connections to the previous bishops. Wyatt writes:

"Every Bishop of Atlanta had been my friend." Bishop Nelson had often visited his home during the Georgia ministry of his father; Bishop Mikell had been "an inspiration during the days of my youth" and later. Bishop Walker was the examining chaplain who certified him for ordination. Bishop Walthour "became my friend during the years in which we both took Holy Orders."Upon This Rock: 150 Years in the Life of St. Peter's Church, Rome, Georgia by Dr. C. J. Wyatt Jr. St. Peter's Church: Rome, GA (1994).

He married Clara Virginia Kinney Stribling on June 9, 1953. Bishop Claiborne retired in 1972, and was given the title "Bishop Emeritus" in honor of his 20-year service to the diocese.

Consecrators

* Henry St. G. Tucker, 19th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church * Charles C. J. Carpenter 6th

* Noble C. Powell, 9th

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 ...

Randolph Claiborne was the 489th bishop consecrated in the Episcopal Church.

References

Atlanta Diocese Centennial History
page on Bishop Claiborne. * ''The Episcopal Church Annual''. Morehouse Publishing: New York, NY (2005). * Upon This Rock: 150 Years in the Life of St. Peter's Church, Rome, Georgia by Dr. C. J. Wyatt Jr. St. Peter's Church: Rome, GA (1994). {{DEFAULTSORT:Claiborne, Randolph Royall Jr. 1906 births 1986 deaths People from Huntsville, Alabama People from Macon, Georgia People from Farmville, Virginia Episcopal bishops of Atlanta University of Virginia alumni Virginia Theological Seminary alumni 20th-century American Episcopalians

Background

Consecrators

See also

References