Thomas Neely Carruthers (June 10, 1900 – June 12, 1960) was bishop of the
Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina
The Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina (EDOSC), known as The Episcopal Church in South Carolina from January 2013 until September 2019, is a diocese of the Episcopal Church. The diocese covers an area of 24 counties in the eastern part of the ...
, serving from 1944 to 1960.
Early life and education
Carruthers was born on June 10, 1900, in
Collierville, Tennessee
Collierville is a town in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and a suburb located in the Memphis metropolitan area. With a population of 51,324 in the 2020 census, Collierville is the third largest municipality in the county after Memphis ...
, the son of Thomas Neely Carruthers and Linnie Louise Hunter. He was educated at the Collierville High School, before studying at
Sewanee: The University of the South, from where he graduated with a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
in 1921. He then earned a
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
from
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
in 1924. He married Ellen Douglas Everett on December 27, 1927. Carruthers also 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 the University of the South in 1929, which also honoured him with 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 ...
in 1940.
Ordained ministry
Carruthers was ordained deacon in June 1925 by Bishop
James M. Maxon
James Matthew Maxon (January 1, 1875 – November 8, 1948) was the fourth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee, serving in that capacity from 1935 to January 1, 1947.
Biography
Maxon was born on January 1, 1875, in Bay City, Michigan, the ...
Coadjutor of Tennessee and priest in May 1926 by Bishop
Thomas F. Gailor of Tennessee. He then became rector of
St Peter's Church in
Columbia, Tennessee in 1926. He became rector of
Trinity Church in
Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
in 1931, and then rector of
Christ Church in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
in 1939.
Episcopacy
On January 18, 1944, Carruthers was elected on the third ballot as Bishop of South Carolina during a special convention which was held in St John's Church in
Florence, South Carolina
Florence is a city in and the county seat of Florence County, South Carolina, United States. It lies at the intersection of Interstates 20 and 95 and is the eastern terminus of the former. It is the primary city within the Florence metropolit ...
. He was consecrated on May 4, 1944, in
St Philip's Church
''Riceyman Steps'' is a novel by British novelist Arnold Bennett, first published in 1923 and winner of that year's James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. It follows a year in the life of Henry Earlforward, a miserly second-hand bookshop ow ...
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 ...
, by Presiding Bishop Henry St. George Tucker (bishop), Henry St. George Tucker. From 1953 till 1956, he served as President of Province 4 of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, Province IV. At the time of his death, he was also Chancellor of the University of the South.
Death
He died in office on June 12, 1960, in Seabrook Island, South Carolina. He was found dead on the floor of his room, the death being the result of an Intracerebral hemorrhage. His funeral was held at
St Philip's Church
''Riceyman Steps'' is a novel by British novelist Arnold Bennett, first published in 1923 and winner of that year's James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. It follows a year in the life of Henry Earlforward, a miserly second-hand bookshop ow ...
on June 14 and he was buried in the cemetery of the University of the South.
References
External links
Obituary and funeral notices
1900 births
1960 deaths
Episcopal bishops of South Carolina
People from Collierville, Tennessee
Sewanee: The University of the South alumni
20th-century American Episcopalians
20th-century American clergy
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