William Mercer Green (July 12, 1876 – November 12, 1942), was the 4th Bishop of

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

from 1938 till 1942. He was the grandson of

William Mercer Green William Mercer Green (May 2, 1798 – February 13, 1887) was the first Episcopal bishop of Mississippi. Early life Green was born in Wilmington, North Carolina in 1798.Batterson, 159 He was the son of William Green, a North Carolina rice plan ...

, the 1st Bishop of Mississippi.

Education

Green attended the public schools of

Greenville, Mississippi Greenville is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 34,400 at the 2010 census. It is located in the area of historic cotton plantations and culture known as the Mississippi Delta. Hi ...

. Later he studied theology and graduated from Sewanee: The University of the South. He also earned his

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 ...

from the same university.

Priest

In 1899 Green was ordained deacon and priest a year later. Most of his priesthood was spent as rector of parishes around Mississippi. He also served as rector of St John's Church in

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Tennessee, Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Di ...

. He was also Dean of All Saints College in

Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat, and the population at the 2010 census was 23,856. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vic ...

. His last post prior to his election was as rector of St Andrew's Church in

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

Bishop

In 1919 Green was elected Coadjutor Bishop of Mississippi. He succeeded Bishop Theodore DuBose Bratton as diocesan bishop upon his retirement in 1938. His episcopacy was mostly focused on rural work in the diocese. Green died in office on November 12, 1942. His funeral was held on November 16 and was presided over by R. Bland Mitchell, Bishop of Arkansas.

References

1876 births 1942 deaths 20th-century Anglican bishops in the United States Episcopal bishops of Mississippi {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub