S. Arthur Huston
Encyclopedia
Simeon Arthur Huston was the bishop
of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia
from 1925 to 1947. During his episcopate bankers foreclosed on the cathedral
church of the diocese
, but he led a successful effort to pay off the indebtedness.
, the younger son of Simeon Atchley Huston (1845 – 1883) and the former
Matilda Bogen (1848 – 1927). His mother was a daughter of Peter Bogen, a prominent pork-packer in Cincinnati, and a younger sister of Louise Bogen, the wife of General Godfrey Weitzel
. His father was a partner in the Bogen pork-packing firm; after his father's early death, his mother became postmaster
of the Cincinnati suburb
of Hartwell.
In 1900 Huston received a B.A.
degree and membership in the Phi Beta Kappa Society
from Kenyon College
in Gambier, Ohio
. Remaining in Gambier, he next attended Bexley Theological Seminary
from which he graduated in 1903.
Ordained a deacon
in 1903 and a priest
in 1904, Huston served as curate
at Trinity Church in Columbus, Ohio
, from 1903 to 1907 and at St. Paul's Cathedral
in Detroit, Michigan
, from 1907 to 1913.
From 1913 to 1919 Huston was rector of St. Mark's Church in Cheyenne, Wyoming
, where he also served as president of the Wyoming State Board of Education from 1917 to 1919. In 1919 he was called to Christ Church in Baltimore, Maryland, and while in Baltimore, he studied at Johns Hopkins University
in 1920 and 1921. Between 1921 and 1925 he was rector of St. Mark's Church in San Antonio, Texas
.
On February 3, 1925, Huston was elected bishop
of Olympia
and was consecrated on May 15. His consecrators were
In 1926 plans were drawn up for building St. Mark's Cathedral in Seattle, Washington, and construction commenced in 1928. However, the Great Depression
that began in 1929 caused pledges to dry up, and at the time of the cathedral's dedication on April 25, 1931, the congregation still owed $250,000 to the Mercantile-Commerce Bank & Trust Co. of St. Louis
, which had provided the financing. In May 1940 the bank foreclosed
and began charging rent
of $500 per month. A year later, the rent not having been paid, the bank took possession of the cathedral.
In 1944 Bishop Huston traveled to St. Louis
to negotiate with the bankers. Between 1944 and 1947 fundraising, including a 1945 Civic Banquet, hosted by Emil Sick and Dave Beck
, that netted $85,000, led to all indebtedness being paid off. On March 30, 1947, Palm Sunday
, the mortgage
was "burned" before the altar
; the St. Louis bankers had contributed the last $5,000 of the debt. In June 1947 Bishop Huston retired to
Winslow
on Bainbridge Island
. He is buried at
Lake View Cemetery
in Seattle.
Bishop Huston was the recipient of two honorary degree
s, a D.D.
degree from Kenyon College
in 1925 and an LL.D. from the College of Puget Sound
in 1931. The Huston Camp and Conference Center in Gold Bar, Washington
was named for him.
On October 4, 1911, Bishop Huston had married Dorothea Josephine Brotherton (1885 – 1968) of Detroit.
Her father was Wilber Brotherton (1858 – 1949), the manager of Detroit operations for the
Jerome B. Rice Seed Company, and her mother was Belle Brotherton (1857 – 1934), a leader in the
women's suffrage
movement. Bishop Huston and his wife were the parents of four children, three of whom survived to adulthood.
Their first child was Wilber B. Huston, who won the 1929 Edison
scholarship
contest
and went on to have a long career with NASA
.
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 Episcopal Diocese of Olympia
Episcopal Diocese of Olympia
The Episcopal Diocese of Olympia, also known as the Episcopal Church in Western Washington, is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in Washington state west of the Cascade Range. It is one of 17 dioceses and an area mission that make up Province 8. The diocese started as a missionary district in 1853...
from 1925 to 1947. During his episcopate bankers foreclosed on the cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
church of the diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
, but he led a successful effort to pay off the indebtedness.
Biography
Bishop Huston was born in Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, the younger son of Simeon Atchley Huston (1845 – 1883) and the former
Matilda Bogen (1848 – 1927). His mother was a daughter of Peter Bogen, a prominent pork-packer in Cincinnati, and a younger sister of Louise Bogen, the wife of General Godfrey Weitzel
Godfrey Weitzel
Godfrey Weitzel was a major general in the Union army during the American Civil War, as well as the acting Mayor of New Orleans during the Federal occupancy of the city.-Early life and career:...
. His father was a partner in the Bogen pork-packing firm; after his father's early death, his mother became postmaster
Postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
of the Cincinnati suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Hartwell.
In 1900 Huston received a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree and membership in the Phi Beta Kappa Society
Phi Beta Kappa Society
The Phi Beta Kappa Society is an academic honor society. Its mission is to "celebrate and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences"; and induct "the most outstanding students of arts and sciences at America’s leading colleges and universities." Founded at The College of William and...
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 Gambier, Ohio
Gambier, Ohio
Gambier is a village in Knox County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,871 at the 2000 census.Gambier is the home of Kenyon College and was named after one of Kenyon College's early benefactors, Lord Gambier....
. Remaining in Gambier, he next attended Bexley Theological Seminary
Bexley Hall
Bexley Hall is a seminary in Bexley, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus.It is one of 11 official seminaries of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America,and identifies itself as liberal Anglo-Catholic in orientation.-History:...
from which he graduated in 1903.
Ordained a deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
in 1903 and a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
in 1904, Huston served as curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
at Trinity Church in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, from 1903 to 1907 and at St. Paul's Cathedral
Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Detroit
The Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Detroit is the cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan. The cathedral is located at 4800 Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, adjacent to the campus of Wayne State University. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in...
in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, from 1907 to 1913.
From 1913 to 1919 Huston was rector of St. Mark's Church in Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
, where he also served as president of the Wyoming State Board of Education from 1917 to 1919. In 1919 he was called to Christ Church in Baltimore, Maryland, and while in Baltimore, he studied at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
in 1920 and 1921. Between 1921 and 1925 he was rector of St. Mark's Church in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
.
On February 3, 1925, Huston was elected bishop
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 Olympia
Episcopal Diocese of Olympia
The Episcopal Diocese of Olympia, also known as the Episcopal Church in Western Washington, is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in Washington state west of the Cascade Range. It is one of 17 dioceses and an area mission that make up Province 8. The diocese started as a missionary district in 1853...
and was consecrated on May 15. His consecrators were
- The Right Reverend George H. Kinsolving, Bishop of TexasEpiscopal Diocese of TexasThe Episcopal Diocese of Texas is one of the largest dioceses of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. The diocese consists of all ECUSA congregations in the southeastern quartile of Texas, including the cities of Austin, Beaumont, Galveston, Houston and Waco.The 153 congregations...
- The Right Reverend William T. Capers, Bishop of West Texas
- The Right Reverend William Bertrand Stevens, Bishop of Los AngelesEpiscopal Diocese of Los AngelesThe Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles is a community of 85,000 Episcopalians in 147 congregations, 40 schools, and 18 major institutions, spanning all of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties, and part of Riverside County....
In 1926 plans were drawn up for building St. Mark's Cathedral in Seattle, Washington, and construction commenced in 1928. However, the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
that began in 1929 caused pledges to dry up, and at the time of the cathedral's dedication on April 25, 1931, the congregation still owed $250,000 to the Mercantile-Commerce Bank & Trust Co. of St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, which had provided the financing. In May 1940 the bank foreclosed
Foreclosure
Foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgage lender , or other lien holder, obtains a termination of a mortgage borrower 's equitable right of redemption, either by court order or by operation of law...
and began charging rent
Renting
Renting is an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property owned by another. A gross lease is when the tenant pays a flat rental amount and the landlord pays for all property charges regularly incurred by the ownership from landowners...
of $500 per month. A year later, the rent not having been paid, the bank took possession of the cathedral.
In 1944 Bishop Huston traveled to St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
to negotiate with the bankers. Between 1944 and 1947 fundraising, including a 1945 Civic Banquet, hosted by Emil Sick and Dave Beck
Dave Beck
Dave Beck was an American labor leader, and president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters from 1952 to 1957...
, that netted $85,000, led to all indebtedness being paid off. On March 30, 1947, Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in all four Canonical Gospels. ....
, the mortgage
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...
was "burned" before the altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
; the St. Louis bankers had contributed the last $5,000 of the debt. In June 1947 Bishop Huston retired to
Winslow
Winslow, Washington
Winslow is the name of the downtown area of the city of Bainbridge Island, Washington, and is the original name of the city. It encompasses the area around the main street, Winslow Way, and is made up of approximately overlooking Eagle Harbor....
on Bainbridge Island
Bainbridge Island, Washington
Bainbridge Island is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States, and the name of the island in Puget Sound on which the city is situated...
. He is buried at
Lake View Cemetery
Lake View Cemetery (Seattle)
Lake View Cemetery is a cemetery located on Seattle, Washington, Capitol Hill just north of Volunteer Park. It is named for its view of Lake Washington to the east. It was founded in 1873 as the Seattle Masonic Cemetery.-Notable interments:...
in Seattle.
Bishop Huston was the recipient of two honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
s, a D.D.
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 1925 and an LL.D. from the College of Puget Sound
University of Puget Sound
The University of Puget Sound is a private liberal arts college located in the North End of Tacoma, Washington, in the United States...
in 1931. The Huston Camp and Conference Center in Gold Bar, Washington
Gold Bar, Washington
Gold Bar is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,075 at the 2010 census.-History:Gold Bar started as a prospectors camp in 1889, named by a miner who found traces of gold on a river gravel bar...
was named for him.
On October 4, 1911, Bishop Huston had married Dorothea Josephine Brotherton (1885 – 1968) of Detroit.
Her father was Wilber Brotherton (1858 – 1949), the manager of Detroit operations for the
Jerome B. Rice Seed Company, and her mother was Belle Brotherton (1857 – 1934), a leader in the
women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
movement. Bishop Huston and his wife were the parents of four children, three of whom survived to adulthood.
Their first child was Wilber B. Huston, who won the 1929 Edison
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
contest
Competition
Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...
and went on to have a long career with NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
.