William Henry Augustus Bissell (November 10, 1814 - May 14, 1893) was the second bishop of

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America.

Education

Bissell was born on November 10, 1814, in

Randolph, Vermont Randolph is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 4,774 at the 2020 census, making Randolph the largest town in Orange County. The town is a commercial center for many of the smaller, rural farming communities that s ...

, the son of Ezekiel Bissell and Elizabeth Washburn. He graduated from the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

in 1836 and commenced his teaching career in Detroit. He also studied theology at Vermont Episcopal Institute.

Ordination

Bissell was ordained deacon on September 29, 1839, by Bishop

Benjamin T. Onderdonk Benjamin Treadwell Onderdonk (July 15, 1791, New York City – April 30, 1861, New York) was the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York from 1830–1861. Early years A member of a prominent Hempstead family, Onderdonk graduated from Colu ...

of New York. He was ordained a priest a year later on August 2 by the same bishop. Bissell served as assistant of Christ Church in

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany a ...

. In 1941 he was appointed rector of Trinity Church in

Watervliet, New York Watervliet ( or ) is a City (New York), city in Albany County, New York, Albany County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The population was 10,375 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Watervliet is north of Albany, ...

, a post he held until 1845 when he became rector of Grace Church in Lyons, New York. In 1848 he was appointed rector of Trinity Church in Geneva, New York.

Episcopacy

Bissell was elected Bishop of Vermont in 1868 and consecrated bishop on June 3, 1868, by Samuel A. McCoskry Bishop of Michigan and co-consecrated by

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...

of Connecticut, Horatio Potter of New York,

Arthur Cleveland Coxe Arthur Cleveland Coxe (May 10, 1818 - July 20, 1896) was the second Episcopal bishop of Western New York. He used Cleveland as his given name and is often referred to as A. Cleveland Coxe. Biography He was the son of the Reverend Samuel Hanso ...

of Western New York and Henry A. Neely of Maine. Bissell died on May 14, 1893, in

Burlington, Vermont Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...

Personal life

Bissell married Martha Cotton Moulton on August 25, 1838, and had four children.

References

1814 births 1893 deaths Episcopal bishops of Vermont People from Randolph, Vermont University of Vermont alumni Burials in Ohio 19th-century American Episcopalians 19th-century American clergy {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub