William White 1748-1836

The Rt Rev William White c. 1830

Although Episcopalians tend to attribute a great deal to Samuel Seabury, his only real significance is that he was the first man whose election and consecration as a bishop for the Church in North America can be verified. There are strong rumours of a couple of Non-Juror bishops in the American colonies in the mid-1700s, but it must be stressed that they are rumours. However, Seabury was not the organizational genius behind the Protestant Episcopal Church, that title belongs to William White, Rector of Christ Church and St Peter's, Philadelphia from 1779 until his death in 1836, and first Bishop of Pennsylvania from 1787-1836.

Born on April 4th, 1748, in Philadelphia, his family was part of the mercantile elite in that city. He was related to both the Harrisons and the Morrises by marriage, and this gave him strong personal connections with those who espoused the Patriot cause as the relationship between Great Britain and her North American colonies deteriorated in the 1760s and 1770s. Educated at the College of Philadelphia, he went to England for ordination in 1770 and was made deacon by Bishop Yonge of Norwich, and returned two years later to be priested by Bishop Terrick of London. His early ministry was spent as assistant to Duche at Christ Church, Philadelphia, becoming Rector when his superior left Philadelphia with the British. He also served as chaplain to the Continental Congress 1777-1789, and then to the Senate.

His role in organizing the remnants of the Church of England in North America into a denomination started during the period between the British surrender at Yorktown, and the ratification of the Treaty of Paris. In 1782, he published a pamphlet entitled, "The Case of the Episcopalian Churches in the United States Considered" - usually referred to as "White's Case." This outlined a structure for the church that acknowledge the local congregation or parish - not the diocese as it was in England - as the fundamental unit of church organization, and setting up a series of Conventions to administer the Church. Vestries would send their minister and lay delegates to the State Convention, and in turn, they would send clerical and lay delegates to the General Convention. White also wrestled with the problem of what to do if bishops could not be consecrated in a timely manner for the new denomination, arguing that election was sufficient and that presbyterial ordinations presided over by an officer called 'the bishop' would be sufficient until the deficiency could be remedied.

The initial General Convention met in 1785 and took steps to draw up a constitution, and also to revise the Book of Common Prayer. This work continued in another session in 1786, which produced a not altogether happy revision of the Prayer Book which was authorized for use, but not mandated. Conservative, and High Churchmen were uncomfortable with its omission of the Nicene Creed, and of the clause 'He descended into hell' from the Apostles' Creed, and the soft-pedalling of teachings such as baptismal regeneration. When the English bishops heard of the contents of the new Prayer Book, the Archbishop of Canterbury absolutely declined to accept it as a basis for intercommunion, requesting that at least the missing clause of the Apostles' Creed, and two missing Creeds be restored. White, on behalf of the General Convention, was swift to reassure the English Bishops that these issues would be addressed, and in late 1786 he set out for England with Samuel Provost, who had been elected Bishop of New York, to be consecrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury, which event occurred on 4th February 1787 in the Chapel of Lambeth Palace. Returning to the United States almost immediately, he settled back into his ministry in Philadelphia, but in addition confirmed such persons who came to him, and supervised the studies of those preparing for ordination, as well as ordaining them as deacon or priest when they had finished their education. He also presided over the State Convention (the word diocese is not used until the 1820s and 30s) and over the General Conventions of 1785, 1786, then 1795 through 1834.

White played a major part in negotiating the entry of the New England churches under Samuel Seabury into the General Convention. The evidence suggests that Seabury had hoped to have additional bishops consecrated in Scotland, but the death of the Stuart pretender to the British Crown Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1787 made it possible for the Scottish bishops to make their peace with the Hanoverian monarchy, and thus, less receptive to overtures from America. This forced Seabury to 'make nice' with the General Convention, and agreement was reached quite quickly with a separate House of Bishops and revisions to the Book of Common Prayer being conceded to reconcile the New Englanders. White still had to endure the tension between Seabury and Provost, but even that was temporarily set aside in 1792 when the first consecration on American soil, that of Thomas Claggett, first Bishop of Maryland took place with all four existing bishops participating.

In addition to his work for the wider Protestant Episcopal Church, White also supported many good causes in Philadelphia helping to found the Episcopal School, and interdenominational agencies such as the Magdalen Home for fallen women, and the Deaf and Blind School. He seems to have been a man unusually well endowed with the gift of commonsense, something doubtless appreciated not just by his parish and diocese, but the many Philadelphia institutions with which he was involved.

In addition to his own children, he raised those of several relatives, with his home on Walnut Street, Philadelphia apparently a lively and bustling one. His home is also noted as being one of the first in the city with an indoor lavatory!

White's long ministry drew to a close in the opening months of 1836 as he suffered from a long, debilitating illness which ultimately resulted in his death on July 17th. In the fifty years in which he had played a major role in the General Convention, the Protestant Episcopal Church had progressed from barely to almost thriving. The original nine dioceses had been joined by Ohio, Vermont, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Illinois, whilst a Missionary Bishop had been consecrated for the Northwest, and the original four bishops had been joined by bishops for Maryland, North and South Carolina, New Jersey, and "the East." A fitting close to his ministry is represented by the fact that among his last official acts was the consecration of Jackson Kemper as Missionary Bishop of the Northwest, an action which represented the beginning of a more aggressive home mission policy on the part of PECUSA.