William Woodruff Niles (May 24, 1832 - March 31, 1914) was the third bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire The Episcopal Church of New Hampshire, a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America (ECUSA), covers the entire state of New Hampshire. It was originally part of the Diocese of Massachusetts, but became independent in 1841. Th ...

, United States, and served as such from 1870 until his death in 1914.''Who Was Who in America'', Vol. 1, 1897-1942, Chicago, Marquis, 1943, p. 900

Early life and education

William Woodruff Niles was born in Hatley, Quebec, Canada, the son of Daniel Swift Niles and his wife Della (Woodruff) Niles. After studying at the Derby Academy in Derby, Vermont, he attended Trinity College from which he received an A.B. in 1857 and an A.M. in 1860. In 1861 he graduated from Berkeley Divinity School, which was then located in

Middletown, Connecticut Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States, Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, it is south of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated by English settler ...

Career

William Woodruff Niles was ordained a deacon on May 22, 1861 at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Middletown and a priest on May 14, 1862 at St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Wiscasset, Maine. He had been deacon in charge of St. Philip's and became its rector when he was ordained a priest. In 1864 he returned to Trinity College to become professor of Latin. In 1868 he also became part-time rector of St. John's Episcopal Church in

Warehouse Point, Connecticut East Windsor is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 11,190 at the 2020 census. The town has five villages: Broad Brook, Melrose, Scantic, Warehouse Point and Windsorville. History In 1633, Settlers laid cl ...

. On September 21, 1870, he was consecrated bishop of New Hampshire at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in

Concord, New Hampshire Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the third largest city in New Hampshire behind Manchester and Nashua. The village of ...

. In the 19th Century, it was not uncommon for an Episcopal bishop to serve at the same time as rector of a parish. Bishop Niles assumed the unpaid rectorship of St. Paul's Church in Concord and continued in both capacities until his death. In 1879, under his leadership, members of the 1875 Episcopal General Convention founded the Holderness School in New Hampshire, where a living hall was named in his honor.

Marriage and family

Niles was married to Bertha Olmsted, the half-sister of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, on June 5, 1862 in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

. They had six children.Descendants of John Niles
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Honors

Bishop Niles received honorary degrees from Trinity, Dartmouth College, Berkley Divinity School and Bishop's College in Sherbrooke, Quebec.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Niles, William Woodruff 1832 births 1914 deaths Episcopal bishops of New Hampshire People from Concord, New Hampshire Anglophone Quebec people Trinity College (Connecticut) alumni Trinity College (Connecticut) faculty Berkeley Divinity School alumni 19th-century Anglican bishops in the United States