Cicero Stephens Hawks
Encyclopedia
Cicero Stephens Hawks was the first Episcopal
bishop of Missouri
.
Hawks was born in New Bern
, North Carolina
. After an education at the University of North Carolina
, Hawks began to study the law, but abandoned it in favor of a clerical occupation. He was ordained deacon in 1834 and priest in 1836. His first parishes were in Saugerties
and Buffalo
, New York
. His brothers, Francis Lister Hawks and William Nassau Hawks, were also Episcopal priests. Hawks married Ann Jones in 1835
He became rector of Christ Church, St. Louis, Missouri
in 1844, in what was then the Diocese of Missouri and Indiana. After the diocese was divided, Hawks became the bishop of Missouri. He was the 44th bishop in the ECUSA, and was consecrated on October 20, 1844 by Bishops Philander Chase
, Jackson Kemper
, and Samuel Allen McCoskry
. He received a D.D. from the University of Missouri
in 1847. During his service as bishop, he continued to be the rector of Christ Church, serving in both positions until 1854, when he relinquished the rectorship. During a cholera
epidemic in 1849, Hawks ministered to the sick of the city. He became ill in 1867, and asked Bishop Thomas H. Vail of Kansas to assist in his parish visitations. Hawks died the following year, on April 19, 1868.
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
bishop of Missouri
Episcopal Diocese of Missouri
The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America with jurisdiction over 54 counties in eastern Missouri. It has 47 congregations and is in Province 5. Its cathedral, Christ Church Cathedral, is in St. Louis, as are the diocesan offices. The...
.
Hawks was born in New Bern
New Bern, North Carolina
New Bern is a city in Craven County, North Carolina with a population of 29,524 as of the 2010 census.. It is located at the confluence of the Trent and the Neuse rivers...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. After an education at the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
, Hawks began to study the law, but abandoned it in favor of a clerical occupation. He was ordained deacon in 1834 and priest in 1836. His first parishes were in Saugerties
Saugerties (village), New York
Saugerties is a village in Ulster County, New York, USA. The population was 4,955 at the 2000 census.The Village of Saugerties is a Town in the eastern part of the Town of Saugerties. U.S. Route 9W passes through the village...
and Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. His brothers, Francis Lister Hawks and William Nassau Hawks, were also Episcopal priests. Hawks married Ann Jones in 1835
He became rector of Christ Church, St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
in 1844, in what was then the Diocese of Missouri and Indiana. After the diocese was divided, Hawks became the bishop of Missouri. He was the 44th bishop in the ECUSA, and was consecrated on October 20, 1844 by Bishops Philander Chase
Philander Chase
Philander Chase was an Episcopal Church bishop, educator, and pioneer of the United States western frontier in Ohio and Illinois.-Life:...
, Jackson Kemper
Jackson Kemper
Bishop Jackson Kemper was the first missionary bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America.Baptized David Jackson Kemper by Dr...
, and Samuel Allen McCoskry
Samuel Allen McCoskry
Samuel Allen McCoskry , was the first bishop of Michigan in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, but was deposed by the House of Bishops.-Biography:...
. He received a D.D. from the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
in 1847. During his service as bishop, he continued to be the rector of Christ Church, serving in both positions until 1854, when he relinquished the rectorship. During a cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
epidemic in 1849, Hawks ministered to the sick of the city. He became ill in 1867, and asked Bishop Thomas H. Vail of Kansas to assist in his parish visitations. Hawks died the following year, on April 19, 1868.