William Rufus Nicholson
Encyclopedia
William Rufus Nicholson was a bishop
of the Reformed Episcopal Church
and one of the first professors at the Theological Seminary of the Reformed Episcopal Church
.
, on January 8, 1922, where his father was a judge. He converted to Christianity as a result of attending a Methodist camp in 1835. After attending the Methodist Episcopal College in LaGrange, Alabama, 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 Reformed Episcopal Church
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. He served as bishop of the New York and Philadelphia Synod of the Reformed Episcopal Church
until his death. Nicholson also received an honorary Doctor of Divinity
degree from Kenyon College
in Ohio. When the Reformed Episcopal Seminary
was founded, Nicholson became Dean
and one of its first professors. He also wrote a commentary on the book of Colossians titled Oneness with Christ.
Nicholson died on June 7, 1901, and was buried in Forest Hills Cemetery
, Boston.
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the Reformed Episcopal Church
Reformed Episcopal Church
The Reformed Episcopal Church is an Anglican church in the United States and Canada and a founding member of the Anglican Church in North America...
and one of the first professors at the Theological Seminary of the Reformed Episcopal Church
Reformed Episcopal Seminary
The Reformed Episcopal Seminary was founded in 1887 in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with support from a trust created by Harriet Benson in 1886. The seminary offers a Master of Divinity program as well as programs leading to certificates in a variety of theological fields. A diploma program...
.
Biography
Nicholson was born in Greene County, MississippiGreene County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 13,299 people, 4,148 households, and 3,152 families residing in the county. The population density was 19 people per square mile . There were 4,947 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile...
, on January 8, 1922, where his father was a judge. He converted to Christianity as a result of attending a Methodist camp in 1835. After attending the Methodist Episcopal College in LaGrange, Alabama, he was ordained at the age of twenty and served four years in New Orleans. He transferred to the Protestant Episcopal Church
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...
in 1847 and was ordained by Bishop Leonidas Polk
Leonidas Polk
Leonidas Polk was a Confederate general in the American Civil War who was once a planter in Maury County, Tennessee, and a second cousin of President James K. 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 Reformed Episcopal Church
Reformed Episcopal Church
The Reformed Episcopal Church is an Anglican church in the United States and Canada and a founding member of the Anglican Church in North America...
in 1875. That same year he was elected bishop, with his consecration by Bishop George David Cummins
George David Cummins
George David Cummins was an American bishop and founder of the Reformed Episcopal Church.-Life and career:George David Cummins was born in Delaware on 11 December 1822. He graduated from Dickinson College in 1841, and entered the Methodist ministry.In 1845 Cummins took orders in the Protestant...
taking place on February 24, 1876, in Philadelphia. He served as bishop of the New York and Philadelphia Synod of the Reformed Episcopal Church
Reformed Episcopal Church
The Reformed Episcopal Church is an Anglican church in the United States and Canada and a founding member of the Anglican Church in North America...
until his death. Nicholson also received an honorary Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
degree from Kenyon College
Kenyon College
Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, founded in 1824 by Bishop Philander Chase of The Episcopal Church, in parallel with the Bexley Hall seminary. It is the oldest private college in Ohio...
in Ohio. When the Reformed Episcopal Seminary
Reformed Episcopal Seminary
The Reformed Episcopal Seminary was founded in 1887 in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with support from a trust created by Harriet Benson in 1886. The seminary offers a Master of Divinity program as well as programs leading to certificates in a variety of theological fields. A diploma program...
was founded, Nicholson became Dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
and one of its first professors. He also wrote a commentary on the book of Colossians titled Oneness with Christ.
Nicholson died on June 7, 1901, and was buried in Forest Hills Cemetery
Forest Hills Cemetery
Forest Hills Cemetery is a historic cemetery, greenspace, arboretum and sculpture garden located in the Forest Hills section of the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery was designed in 1848.-Overview:...
, Boston.
External links
- William Rufus Nicholson, D.D. Bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church 1903 biographical article
- The Priesthood of the Church of God: Sermon Preached at the Opening of the Fourth General Council of the Reformed Episcopal Church, in Emmanuel Church, Ottawa 1876 sermon by Nicholson
Sources
- Acker, Raymond A. A History of the Reformed Episcopal Seminary: 1886–1964 (Philadelphia: The Theological Seminary of the Reformed Episcopal Church, 1965).