William Davidson (July 20, 1919 - May 8, 2006) was bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Western Kansas The Episcopal Diocese of Western Kansas, created in 1971, is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America with jurisdiction over western Kansas. It was formerly the Missionary District of Salina until 1960 and then the Missi ...

, serving as diocesan from 1966 to 1980.

Early life and education

Davidson was born on July 20, 1919, in

Miles City, Montana Miles City ( chy, Ma'xemâhoévé'ho'eno) is a city in and the county seat of Custer County, Montana, United States. The population was 8,354 at the 2020 census. History After the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, the U.S. Army created fo ...

. He studied at the

Montana State University Montana State University (MSU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 6 ...

and 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 1940. He then taught Vocational Agriculture in

Sidney, Montana Sidney is a city in and the county seat of Richland County, Montana, United States, less than west of the North Dakota border. The population was 6,346 at the 2020 census. The city lies along the Yellowstone River and is in proximity to the ...

, until 1943 when he enrolled at

Berkeley Divinity School Berkeley Divinity School, founded in 1854, is a seminary of The Episcopal Church in New Haven, Connecticut. Along with Andover Newton Theological School and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, Berkeley is one of the three "Partners on the Quad," ...

to train for the priesthood. He earned a

Bachelor of Sacred Theology The Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureus; abbreviated STB), not to be confused with a Bachelor of Arts in Theology, is the first of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the second being the Licentiate in Sacred ...

in 1946. On June 3, 1942, he married Mary Shoemaker and together had four children. He was awarded an honorary

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 ...

by Berkeley Divinity School in 1966, and an honorary

Doctor 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 Lexington Theological Seminary in 1978.

Ordained ministry

Davidson was ordained deacon on August 23, 1946, in St Peter's Pro-Cathedral and then a priest on April 25, 1947, by the Bishop of Montana Henry H. Daniels. In 1946 he became vicar in charge of churches in

Townsend, Montana Townsend is a city in and the county seat of Broadwater County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,787 at the 2020 census. History Lewis and Clark passed through on the voyage of discovery in 1805, although the first white settlers, h ...

White Sulphur Springs, Montana White Sulphur Springs is a city in and the county seat of Meagher County, Montana, United States. The population was 955 at the 2020 census. The center of population of Montana is located in White Sulphur Springs. White Sulphur Springs was o ...

, and Martinsdale, Montana, while in 1952 he became rector of St James’ Church in

Lewistown, Montana Lewistown is a city in and the county seat of Fergus County, Montana, United States. The population was 5,952 at the 2020 census. Lewistown is located in the geographic center of the state, southeast of Great Falls and northwest of Billings. Fir ...

. Between 1956 and 1962 he worked in the National Council of the Episcopal Church in New York City as Associate Secretary of the Division of Town and Country Work. In 1962 he returned to parish ministry and served as rector of

Grace Church Grace Church may refer to: Canada * Grace Church on-the-Hill, Toronto China * Grace Church, Guanghan Poland * Grace Church, Teschen or Jesus Church, a Lutheran basilica in Teschen, Poland United Kingdom United States * Grace Cathedral (disam ...

Jamestown, North Dakota Jamestown is a city in Stutsman County, North Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Stutsman County. The population was 15,849 at the 2020 census, making it the ninth largest city in North Dakota. Jamestown was founded in 1883 and i ...

Bishop

Davidson was elected Missionary Bishop of Western Texas in September 1965 and consecrated by

John E. Hines John Elbridge Hines (October 3, 1910 – July 19, 1997) was a bishop in the Episcopal Church in the United States. When he was elected the 22nd Presiding Bishop in 1965, at the age of 54, he was the youngest person to hold that office, which ...

on January 6, 1966, at the auditorium of Mount Mary College in

Salina, Kansas Salina is a city in, and the county seat of, Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,889. In the early 1800s, the Kanza tribal land reached eastward from the middle of the Kansas Territory. In 1 ...

. On October 15, 1971, the Diocese of Western Texas was created and he became its first diocesan bishop. He held the post until his resignation on November 15, 1980. In May of that year he was named Assistant Bishop of Ohio and started in that role that November. He then retired from Ohio in 1986. After that he served as assistant bishop in a number of dioceses. notably Indianapolis, Central New York, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Rio Grande and Colorado. He died on May 8, 2006, in

Loveland, Colorado The City of Loveland is the home rule municipality that is the second most populous municipality in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Loveland is situated north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver and is the 14th most populous city ...

."Requiescat: William Davidson, retired bishop of Western Kansas"
''Episcopal News Service'', May 10, 2006. Retrieved on December 1, 2022.

References

1919 births 2006 deaths 20th-century American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of Colorado Episcopal bishops of Western Kansas 20th-century American clergy Lexington Theological Seminary alumni Montana State University alumni {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub