George Washington Doane (May 27, 1799 – April 27, 1859) was an American churchman, educator, and the second

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 c ...

in the Episcopal Church for the Diocese of New Jersey.

Early life and career

Doane was born in

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

, in 1818. He did additional studies in

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and, in 1821, was ordained deacon. In 1823 he was ordained as an Episcopal priest by Bishop Hobart, whom he assisted in Trinity Church, New York. With

George Upfold George Upfold (May 7, 1796 – August 26, 1872) was the first Episcopal Bishop of Indiana after the diocese's division from the Missionary Diocese of the Northwest. He is officially styled, though, as II bishop of Indiana since missionary bishop ...

(1796–1872), Bishop of Indiana from 1849 to 1872, Doane founded St. Luke's in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. From 1824 to 1828 he was professor of '' belles-lettres'' in Washington (now

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...

) College, Hartford, Connecticut. At this time, he was one of the editors of the ''Episcopal Watchman''. He was assistant in 1828–1830 and rector in 1830–1832 of

Trinity Church, Boston Trinity Church in the City of Boston, located in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts is a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. The congregation, currently standing at approximately 4,000 households, was founded in 17 ...

Bishop of New Jersey

Doane was called as second bishop of New Jersey, serving from October 1832 to his death in 1859 at Burlington, New Jersey. In 1837, he founded St. Mary's Hall (now

Doane Academy Doane Academy is a coeducational, independent day school for grades from Pre-K to 12 located in Burlington, Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. Originally called St. Mary's Hall, it was founded in May 1837 by Episcopal Bishop George ...

), to provide a classical education for girls. It was the first such boarding school for girls in the United States, in a period when numerous schools for girls were founded. The school was supported in part by a gift from his wife, Eliza Greene Callahan (married firstly James Perkins; second George Washington Doane). In 1846 he founded Burlington College, a school for boys. These fulfilled his theory of education under church control. Because of national financial crises, his business management of these schools got the diocese heavily into debt. In the autumn of 1852, a charge of lax administration was made against him before a court of bishops, who dismissed it. Doane was shown to be an able and wise disciplinarian of these schools. His patriotic orations and sermons prove him a speaker of great power. He belonged to the

High Church The term ''high church'' refers to beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, liturgy, and theology that emphasize formality and resistance to modernisation. Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term originate ...

party and was a brilliant controversialist. He published ''Songs by the Way'' (1824), a volume of poems. He also wrote hymns, and his pieces beginning "Softly now the light of day" and "Thou art the Way" are well known. He commissioned

John Notman John Notman (22 July 18103 March 1865) was a Scottish-born American architect, who settled in Philadelphia. He is remembered for his churches, and for popularizing the Italianate style and the use of brownstone. Career Notman was born on 22 Jul ...

to build a chapel for St. Mary's Hall. The congregation of St. Mary's Church grew, and he commissioned architect

Richard Upjohn Richard Upjohn (22 January 1802 – 16 August 1878) was a British-born American architect who emigrated to the United States and became most famous for his Gothic Revival churches. He was partially responsible for launching the movement to su ...

to design a new St. Mary's Church, his

episcopal seat A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral ...

, completed in 1856. Both buildings have been recognized as

National Historic Landmarks A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

Death

Doane died in 1859. He was buried in Saint Mary's Episcopal Churchyard in Burlington.George Washington Doane
, Saint Mary's Episcopal Churchyard. Accessed August 21, 2007.

Legacy

Among those whom Doane had ordained during his lifetime was

Joseph Wolff Joseph Wolff (1795 – 2 May 1862) was a Jewish Christian missionary born in Weilersbach, near Bamberg, Germany, named Wolff after his paternal grandfather. He travelled widely, and was known as "the missionary to the world". He published sev ...

, a Jewish Christian missionary. Doane's biography and bibliography, ''Life and Writings of George Washington Doane'' (4 vols, New York, 1860–1861), was edited by his son, William Croswell Doane (1832–1913). He followed his father into the clergy and was called as the first Bishop of Albany. The fact that both Doane and his son became "bishops asa situation possibly not unique but certainly rare enough to be remarked upon."James Gwynn, "Like Father, Like Son," ''Swan & Elk'' (newsletter of the

Cathedral of All Saints, Albany, New York The Cathedral of All Saints, Albany, New York, is located on Elk Street in central Albany, New York, United States. It is the central church of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany and the seat of the Episcopal Bishop of Albany. Built in the 1880s ...

), Fall 2012, pg. 11. Founded in 1837 and now known as Doane Academy, the private school he founded is coeducational, serving grades Pre-K through 12, and has a substantial endowment to ensure its future. It was the first academic, church run school for girls in the United States.

References

Sources

* ''The Episcopal Church Annual''. Morehouse Publishing: New York (2005).
Bishops of the Diocese of New Jersey
* Doane, George Washington, Bishop of New Jersey, ''The apostolical commission the missionary charter of the church''. The Sermon n Matt. xxviii. 18–20at the ordination of Joseph Wolff in ... Newark, Sept. 26, 1837. *

External links

Doane's works online

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doane, George Washington 1799 births 1859 deaths People from Trenton, New Jersey Union College (New York) alumni 19th-century Anglican bishops in the United States Episcopal bishops of New Jersey