Christopher E. Gadsden
Encyclopedia
Christopher Edwards Gadsden (November 25, 1785 – June 24, 1852) was the fourth Episcopal
Bishop of South Carolina.
Gadsden was born in Charleston, South Carolina
in 1785, the son of Phillip Gadsden and his wife, Catherine Edwards. He was a grandson of Christopher Gadsden
, the South Carolina
Revolutionary
leader. As a youth, he attended both the Episcopal Church of his father and his mother's Congregational Church
. He married Eliza Bowman in 1816. She died in 1826, and Gadsden remarried in 1830 to Jane Dewees, the youngest daughter of William Dewees. He had no children by his first marriage, but had eight with his second wife.
Beginning in his junior year, Gadsden attended Yale University
, graduating in 1804. He was ordained deacon in the Episcopal Church in 1807 by Bishop Moore
, and in 1810 was ordained priest by Bishop Madison. Soon thereafter, he became rector of St. John's Church in Berkeley County
, South Carolina. In 1814, Gadsden became rector of St. Philip's Church
in Charleston, the oldest congregation in the diocese. He received a doctorate of divinity the following year from South Carolina College
.
In 1840, after the death of Bishop Bowen, a dispute arose in the diocese over who would succeed him. Gadsden was elected, and was consecrated bishop in Trinity Church
in Boston
. Gadsden was the 35th bishop in the ECUSA, and was consecrated by Alexander Viets Griswold
, George Washington Doane
, and Samuel Allen McCoskry
. Gadsden was active in expanding the membership of the Episcopal Church in South Carolina, usually visiting each congregation once a year. In 1852, at the diocese convention, he announced that ill health would prevent him from continuing his ministry, and he died shortly thereafter, in June of that year.
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 South Carolina.
Gadsden was born in Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
in 1785, the son of Phillip Gadsden and his wife, Catherine Edwards. He was a grandson of Christopher Gadsden
Christopher Gadsden
Christopher Gadsden , a soldier and statesman from South Carolina, was the principal leader of the South Carolina Patriot movement in the American Revolution. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress and a brigadier general in the Continental Army during the War of Independence...
, the South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
Revolutionary
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
leader. As a youth, he attended both the Episcopal Church of his father and his mother's Congregational Church
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
. He married Eliza Bowman in 1816. She died in 1826, and Gadsden remarried in 1830 to Jane Dewees, the youngest daughter of William Dewees. He had no children by his first marriage, but had eight with his second wife.
Beginning in his junior year, Gadsden attended Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, graduating in 1804. He was ordained deacon in the Episcopal Church in 1807 by Bishop Moore
Richard Channing Moore
The Right Reverend Richard Channing Moore was the second bishop of the Diocese of Virginia .-Life and career:...
, and in 1810 was ordained priest by Bishop Madison. Soon thereafter, he became rector of St. John's Church in Berkeley County
Berkeley County, South Carolina
Berkeley County is a county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. In 2000, its population was 142,651. The 2005 Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 151,673. Its county seat is Moncks Corner....
, South Carolina. In 1814, Gadsden became rector of St. Philip's Church
St. Philip's Episcopal Church (Charleston, South Carolina)
St. Philip's Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal church in the French Quarter neighborhood of Charleston, South Carolina. Its National Historic Landmark description states: "Built in 1836 , this stuccoed brick church features an imposing tower designed in the Wren-Gibbs tradition...
in Charleston, the oldest congregation in the diocese. He received a doctorate of divinity the following year from South Carolina College
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
.
In 1840, after the death of Bishop Bowen, a dispute arose in the diocese over who would succeed him. Gadsden was elected, and was consecrated bishop in Trinity Church
Trinity Church, Boston
Trinity Church in the City of Boston, located in the Back Bay of Boston, Massachusetts, is a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. The congregation, currently standing at approximately 3,000 households, was founded in 1733. The current rector is The Reverend Anne Bonnyman...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. Gadsden was the 35th bishop in the ECUSA, and was consecrated by Alexander Viets Griswold
Alexander Viets Griswold
Alexander Viets Griswold was the Episcopal Bishop of the Eastern Diocese, which included all of New England with the exception of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut....
, George Washington Doane
George Washington Doane
George Washington Doane was a United States churchman, educator, and bishop in the Episcopal Church for the Diocese of New Jersey.-Biography:Doane was born in Trenton, New Jersey...
, 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:...
. Gadsden was active in expanding the membership of the Episcopal Church in South Carolina, usually visiting each congregation once a year. In 1852, at the diocese convention, he announced that ill health would prevent him from continuing his ministry, and he died shortly thereafter, in June of that year.