William White (Bishop of Pennsylvania)

William White

William White (1748-1836) was an early bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America and served as the church's first and fourth Presiding Bishop.

Early Life

William White was born to Thomas White and Esther Hewlings on April 4, 1748 in the city of Philadelphia. As a boy he is reported to have "played the minister" and often gave juvenile sermons to his peers.

He graduated from the College of Philadelphia (the University of Pennsylvania today) at the age of 17.

In 1770, at the age of 22, he sailed to London to be ordained and was ordained to the diaconate by the then bishop of London, Richard Terrick on December 23rd of that year. He remained in London for two more years to avoid making the treacherous journey across the Atlantic a third and fourth time, and was ordained to the priesthood in June of 1772.

He returned thereafter to Philadelphia where he served both St. Peter's and Christ Church.

On February 11th of 1773, he married Mary Harrison. They had eight children together.

The American Revolution

He was an ardent Patriot and supporter of the American Revolution. During the war he served as a chaplain to the Continental Congress and published a sermon on Romans 13 to defend the actions of the Revolutionaries.

Episcopate

In 1782 William White would publish "the Case of the Episcopal church in the United States Considered" which provided a clear and popular vision for what the former Church of England in the newly independent states could look like.

In 1787, he would be consecrated as a bishop by John Moore (Archbishop of Canterbury), William Markham (Archbishop of York), Charles Moss (Bishop of Bath and Wells) and John Hinchliffe (Bishop of Peterborough).