William Rufus Nicholson (January 8, 1822 - June 7, 1901) was a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of the

Reformed Episcopal Church The Reformed Episcopal Church (REC) is an Anglican church of evangelical Episcopalian heritage. It was founded in 1873 in New York City by George David Cummins, a former bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church. The REC is a founding member of ...

and one of the first professors at the Theological Seminary of the Reformed Episcopal Church. Nicholson received 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 ...

degree from

Kenyon College Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio. It was founded in 1824 by Philander Chase. Kenyon College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Kenyon has 1,708 undergraduates enrolled. Its 1,000-acre campus is se ...

in Ohio. When the

Reformed Episcopal Seminary The Reformed Episcopal Seminary is a private seminary in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1887 as the first seminary of the Reformed Episcopal Church. History The Reformed Episcopal Seminary was founded in 1887 in West Philadelphia ...

was founded, Nicholson became Dean and one of its first professors. He also wrote a commentary on the book of

Colossians The Epistle to the Colossians is the twelfth book of the New Testament. It was written, according to the text, by Paul the Apostle and Timothy, and addressed to the church in Colossae, a small Phrygian city near Laodicea and approximately fr ...

titled ''Oneness with Christ''.

Biography

Nicholson was born in Greene County, Mississippi, on January 8, 1822, where his father was a judge. He converted to Christianity as a result of attending a Methodist camp in 1835. After attending LaGrange College, the Methodist Episcopal College in LaGrange, Georgia, he was ordained at the age of twenty and served four years in New Orleans. He transferred to the Protestant Episcopal Church in 1847 and was ordained by Bishop Leonidas Polk. Having served four churches in this denomination (in New Orleans, LA; Cincinnati, OH; Boston, MA and Newark, NJ), he decided to transfer to the

in 1875. That same year he was elected bishop, with his consecration by Bishop George David Cummins taking place on February 24, 1876, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. He served as bishop of the New York and Philadelphia Synod of the

until his death. Nicholson died on June 7, 1901 in

. He was buried in

Forest Hills Cemetery Forest Hills Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery, greenspace, arboretum and sculpture garden located in the Forest Hills section of the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery was established in 1848 as a public ...

, Boston.

References

External links

William Rufus Nicholson, D.D. Bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church
1903 biographical article

1876 sermon by Nicholson {{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholson, William Rufus People from Greene County, Mississippi 1822 births 1901 deaths American Reformed Episcopalians Reformed Episcopal Seminary faculty Bishops of the Reformed Episcopal Church LaGrange College alumni

Biography

See also

References

Further reading

External links