Thomas Hubbard Vail (October 21, 1812–October 6, 1889) was the first

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

Early life

Vail was born in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, the son of Israel E. Vail and Maria Rogers Vail, who had emigrated there from New England.Thompson-Stahr, 475 He attended Washington College (now

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

), graduating in 1831.Perry, 157 He next attended 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 ...

, graduating in 1835. In 1836, he married Frances Sophia Burling, with whom he had seven children. Vail was ordained deacon that year, and ordained priest in 1837. After his ordination to the priesthood, he became rector of Christ Church in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

, in 1837.Batterson, 207 While rector of Christ Church, Vail wrote "Hannah," a sacred drama, which he published anonymously in 1839. Two years later, Vail moved to

Essex, Connecticut Essex is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 6,733 at the 2020 census. It is made up of three villages: Essex Village, Centerbrook, and Ivoryton. History The Great Attack Essex is one of the few Am ...

, to become rector of

St. John's Church St. John's Church, Church of St. John, or variants, thereof, (Saint John or St. John usually refers to John the Baptist, but also, sometimes, to John the Apostle or John the Evangelist) may refer to the following churches, former churches or other ...

in that town. In 1841, he wrote "The Comprehensive Church: or, Christian Unity and Ecclesiastical Union in the Protestant Episcopal Church", which anticipated the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral. In 1844, he moved again, to Christ Church of

Westerly, Rhode Island Westerly is a town on the southwestern shoreline of Washington County, Rhode Island, first settled by English colonists in 1661 and incorporated as a municipality in 1669. It is a beachfront community on the south shore of the state with a popula ...

, where he remained for thirteen years. While there, Vail received a

doctorate of sacred theology The Doctor of Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Doctor, abbreviated STD), also sometimes known as Professor of Sacred Theology (, abbreviated STP), is the final theological degree in the pontifical university system of the Roman Catholic ...

from

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

. In 1857, Vail returned to Massachusetts to become rector of St. Thomas Church in

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

. He moved once more, in 1863, to

Muscatine, Iowa Muscatine ( ) is a city in Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,797 at the time of the 2020 census, an increase from 22,697 in 2000. The county seat of Muscatine County, it is located along the Mississippi River. The lo ...

, to serve as rector of Trinity Church.

Bishop of Kansas

At the Fifth Annual Convention held at

Atchison, Kansas Atchison is a city and county seat of Atchison County, Kansas, United States, along the Missouri River. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 10,885. The city is named in honor of US Senator David Rice Atchison from Missouri an ...

, on September 14, 1864, Vail was unanimously elected Bishop of Kansas. He was consecrated the first Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas on December 15, 1864. He was the 73rd bishop in the Episcopal Church in the United States, and was consecrated at Trinity Episcopal Church,

, by Bishops

Jackson Kemper Jackson Kemper (December 24, 1789 – May 24, 1870) in 1835 became the first missionary bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Especially known for his work with Native American peoples, he also founded parishes in wha ...

Henry John Whitehouse Henry John Whitehouse (August 19, 1803 – August 10, 1874) was the second Episcopal bishop of Illinois. Early life Whitehouse was born in New York City, the son of James Whitehouse (1767–1854) and Eliza Higgs Norman (1775–1835).Batterson, ...

, and

Henry Washington Lee Henry Washington Lee (July 29, 1815 – September 26, 1874) was a 19th-century bishop in the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America. He served as the first Bishop of Iowa from 1854–1874. He also served as Provisional Bishop ...

. As bishop, Vail founded the

College of the Sisters of Bethany The College of the Sisters of Bethany is a defunct school located in Topeka, Kansas, United States. The school was chartered by the Kansas Territory on February 2, 1861 (although Kansas was officially admitted to the United States, Union four da ...

(now a part of

Washburn University Washburn University (WU) is a public university in Topeka, Kansas, United States. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,100 u ...

) and earned a

doctorate of laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL. ...

from the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

. In 1867, his first wife having died, Vail married again, to Ellen Ledlie Bowman, the daughter of Bishop

Samuel Bowman Samuel Bowman (May 21, 1800 – August 3, 1861) was an American suffragan Episcopal Bishop of Pennsylvania, United States. Early life and family Bowman was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, the son of Samuel Bowman, a captain in the Continenta ...

, with whom he had two more children. In 1881, Vail and his wife purchased land in Topeka and donated it for the site of Christ's Hospital (now Stormont-Vail Regional Medical Center) which was founded in 1884. He died in 1889 in

Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Bryn Mawr, pronounced , from Welsh for big hill, is a census-designated place (CDP) located across three townships: Radnor Township and Haverford Township in Delaware County, and Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It i ...

. He is buried in the Topeka Cemetery, Topeka, Kansas.

Notes

References

* * * *''Vail v. Beach,'' 10 Kan. 214 {{DEFAULTSORT:Vail, Thomas Hubbard 1821 births 1889 deaths American religious leaders Religious leaders from Richmond, Virginia 19th-century American Episcopalians People buried in Topeka Cemetery Episcopal bishops of Kansas 19th-century American clergy