Samuel David Ferguson (January 1, 1842 – August 2, 1916) was an African American clergyman in

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

. He was the first African American to be elected as a

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 Church in Liberia.

Biography

Samuel David Ferguson was born in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

, on January 1, 1842. He moved with his family to Liberia when he was six years old. He was ordained a deacon on December 28, 1865, and a priest on March 15, 1868. He was consecrated as bishop on June 24, 1885, (

Saint John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

's Feast Day) at

Grace Church, New York Grace Church is a historic parish church in Manhattan, New York City which is part of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. The church is located at 800–804 Broadway, at the corner of East 10th Street, where Broadway bends to the south-southeast, b ...

, becoming the first black member of the

House of Bishops The House of Bishops is the third House in a General Synod of some Anglican churches and the second house in the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America.

. He married Mary Leonora Montgomery. As Missionary Bishop of Liberia, he founded what is now

Cuttington University Cuttington University is a private university in Suacoco, Liberia. Founded in 1889 as Cuttington College by the Episcopal Church of the United States (ECUSA), it is the oldest private, coeducational, four-year, degree-granting institution in sub- ...

. Ferguson also established the Bromley Mission School. One of his protégés, Raphael Morgan, became an Episcopal priest in the United States but ultimately converted to the Russian Orthodox Church. Ferguson remained in Liberia until his death in

Monrovia Monrovia () is the capital city of the West African country of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2008 census had 1,010,970 residents, home to 29% of Liberia’s total population. As the ...

in 1916.

Notes

References

*''Representative Man - A Note on Samuel David Ferguson: America's 1st Black Bishop'', Seward Montgomery Cooper (2005) *''Handbooks on Missions of the Episcopal Church Number IV Liberia'', National Council of the Protestant Episcopal Church, Department of Foreign Missions, New York, 1924, p. 50 *''History of the Afro-American Group of the Episcopal Church'', Baltimore, Maryland: Church Advocate Press, 1922, p. 206, by George F. Bragg *''History of the Episcopal Church in Liberia 1821-1980'',

American Theological Library Association The American Theological Library Association (Atla) is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3), professional association, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Atla's member libraries and librarians provide resources for scholarly research to tens o ...

and

Scarecrow Press Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an independent publishing house founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns the book distributing compa ...

, Inc. London (1992), p. 155, by D. Elwood Dunn

External links

Profile
''Encyclopædia Britannica'', Guide to Black History * Americo-Liberian people Bishops of the Episcopal Church (United States) 1842 births 1916 deaths American Anglican missionaries Anglican bishops in Mission Anglican missionaries in Liberia Cuttington University Liberian Episcopalians American emigrants to Liberia 19th-century American Episcopalians Anglican bishops of Liberia {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub

Biography

See also

Notes

References

External links