The 81st General Convention of the Episcopal Church begins this Sunday and runs through Friday, June 28, in Louisville, Kentucky. One of the many actions that will take place includes the election of the 28th Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church. This election will take place on Wednesday, June 26, as the House of Bishops will meet at Christ Church Cathedral to elect one of the five nominees. The House of Deputies will then certify the election. The new Presiding Bishop will begin their 9-year term on November 1, 2024. You can read more about the nominees at generalconvention.org/gc81/. In light of this, I thought it would be fun to share some historical information about the Presiding Bishop.

The Presiding Bishop’s office is located at the Episcopal Church Center at 815 2nd Ave. in New York City, but the bishop’s chair is located at the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul in Washington, DC (The National Cathedral).

From 1789–1795 the position rotated geographically. In 1795 it was decided by seniority in order of consecration and then, in 1926, by election. The Presiding Bishop kept their diocesan jurisdiction until a canon was passed in 1943 requiring the person elected to resign their diocesan office. The Presiding Bishop served until death or retirement until 1997 when the term was set at nine years. The longest term and shortest term are shared by the same person, The Rt. Rev. William White, Bishop of Pennsylvania. Bishop White served 67 days as the first Presiding Bishop (when it was geographical) and 40 years, 313 days as the fourth Presiding Bishop (when it went by seniority).

The first elected Presiding Bishop was The Rt. Rev. John Gardner Murray (16th PB), Bishop of Maryland, who served from Jan. 1, 1926–Oct. 3, 1929. The first to have to resign their diocesan office was The Rt. Rev. Henry Knox Sherrill (20th PB), former bishop of Massachusetts, who served from Jan. 1, 1947–Nov. 14, 1958. The first woman to hold the office (and only one to date) was The Rt. Rev. Katherine Jefferts Schori (26th PB), former bishop of Nevada, who served from Nov. 1, 2006–Nov. 1, 2015. The first African American to hold the office (and only one to date) is our current Presiding Bishop, The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry (27th PB), former bishop of North Carolina, whose term began Nov. 1, 2015, and will end Nov. 1, 2024, when the newly elected Presiding Bishop takes over. No bishop of West Missouri has held the office, but two bishops of Missouri have: The Rt. Rev. Daniel S. Tuttle (13th PB from 1903–1923) and The Rt. Rev. Arthur C. Lichtenberger (21st PB from 1958–1964).

Please continue to pray for one another, for all attending the 81st General Convention, for our Cathedral family, our nation, and the world.

For posts not listed here, visit our From the Dean Archive page.