Henry St. George Tucker | |
|---|---|
| 19th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church | |
 | |
| Church | Episcopal Church |
| Elected | October 1937 |
| In office | 1938–1946 |
| Predecessor | James De Wolf Perry |
| Successor | Henry Knox Sherrill |
| Other post | Bishop of Virginia(1927–1943) |
| Previous posts | Bishop of Osaka(1912–1923) Coadjutor Bishop of Virginia(1926–1927) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | July 30, 1900 by Alfred Magill Randolph |
| Consecration | March 25, 1912 by John McKim |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1874-07-16)July 16, 1874 |
| Died | 8 August 1959(1959-08-08) (aged 85) |
| Buried | Virginia Theological Seminary |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Parents | Beverley D. Tucker & Anna Maria Washington |
| Spouse | Lilian Warnock |
| Children | 2 |
Henry St. George Tucker (July 16, 1874 – August 8, 1959) was the 19th Presiding Bishop of theEpiscopal Church in the United States of America.
Tucker's parents were Episcopal priest, and later Bishop of Southern Virginia,Beverley Dandridge Tucker, and Anna Maria Washington (Tucker). Tucker was descended fromSt. George Tucker ofWilliamsburg. He was educated at theUniversity of Virginia, graduating with a BA and MA in 1895. His field was mathematics. Thereafter he studied at theProtestant Episcopal Theological Seminary inAlexandria, Virginia, graduating as a Bachelor of Divinity and subsequently being ordained to the priesthood on July 30, 1900.[1]
First arriving in 1899, Tucker served for twenty four years as a missionary in the Nippon Sei Ko Kai, theAnglican Church in Japan. He served alongside the BritishAnglicanHugh James Foss, as jointbishop of theOsakadiocese, and later in 1913 was appointed Bishop of Kyoto. In 1903 he became President of St. Paul's College in Tokyo, an establishment that in 1922 gained formal recognition asRikkyo University.[2]
During 1918 Tucker worked alongside lay medical missionaryRudolf Teusler in Siberia supervising civilian relief work under the auspices of the Red Cross. During this period Tucker also held the rank of major in theAllied Expeditionary Force.
In 1923 Tucker returned to the United States, becoming both Professor of Pastoral Theology at Virginia Theological Seminary and bishop coadjutor of theEpiscopal Diocese of Virginia. Succeeding as Bishop ofVirginia in 1927, Tucker eventually became the Presiding Bishop of theEpiscopal Church in the United States of America, thus becoming the leader of all Episcopalians in the United States. At the 1940 General Convention, he preached against "aggressive nationalism" and asked the bishops to refrain from smoking during sessions.[3] As an Episcopal presiding bishop, St. George Tucker is honored with a window in theWashington National Cathedral. He was the first bishop to hold this position full-time, rather than on top of a continuing diocesan appointment.
Tucker also authored a book on the history, growth, and development of the Episcopal Church in Japan.[4]
| Episcopal Church (USA) titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | 19th Presiding Bishop 1938–1946 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Joint Bishop of Osaka 1912–1923 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
