William Stevens Perry

The Right Reverend

William Stevens Perry
The Right Reverend; William Stevens Perry
Theodore Nevin Morrison
Orders
Ordination	April 7, 1858; by Manton Eastburn
Consecration	September 10, 1876; by William Bacon Stevens
Personal details
Born	January 22, 1832; Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Died	May 13, 1898 (aged 66); Dubuque, Iowa, United States
Buried	Church of St. James the Less
Nationality	American
Denomination	Anglican
Parents	Stephen Perry & Katharine Whittemore Stevens
Spouse	Sara Abbot Wood Smith (m. 1862)
Alma mater	Harvard College
Signature

William Stevens Perry (January 22, 1832 – May 13, 1898) was a 19th-century

Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America and an educator. He served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Iowa

from 1876 to 1898.

Boston, where he spent the first year of his ministry. His succeeding charges were in St. Luke's Church Nashua, New Hampshire, St. Stephen's Church Portland, Maine, St. Michael's Church Litchfield, Connecticut, and Trinity Church Geneva, New York.^[1]

He taught history at Hobart College for several years and served the institution as president from April to September, 1876, when he was consecrated Bishop of Iowa.

Bishop of Iowa

He did much for the cause of education in his diocese—reopened Griswold College, founded St. Katharine's Hall for girls, Kemper Hall for boys, and Lee Hall for training candidates for orders. Several other schools were founded throughout the diocese. Some of the schools were parish based while others were sponsored by the diocese.

Bishop Perry reformed the vestries in the diocese, and reduced the number parishes by removing the ones that did not function on a regular basis, if at all.

Henry Washington Lee, but it was up to Perry to establish the administration. He named the Very Rev. Willis H. Barris as dean and a chapter based on the English model. He gave a report on the model at the Anglican Congress in London while he attended the Lambeth Conference.^[2]

In the 1884 Diocesan Convention, Bishop Perry proposed goals that embraced the

Des Moines, St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids and St. Luke's Hospital in Davenport. A Home for the Friendless, supported by J.M. Griffith, was begun in Dubuque and a Home for the Friendless

was also begun in Davenport by Clarissa C. Cook.

In 1862 he became the Assistant Secretary of the General Convention and became Secretary in 1868. He attended the Third Lambeth Conference in 1888 and the Fourth in 1897.

He was a hereditary member of the Rhode Island Society of the Cincinnati, a founding member of The Sons of the Revolution in Iowa, and also a member of the Massachusetts Commandery of the Naval Order of the United States. He was also a member of the Masonic Brotherhood

Later life and death

Bishop Perry was in poor health during the latter part of his life and took several trips to

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[4]

Honors

Perry received several honorary degrees. In 1869 he received a

Venerable Order of St John in England on 9 May 1898.^[7]

Writings

Among his writings are:

Documentary History of the
Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America (1863–1864), with Dr. F. L. Hawks

Historical Collections of the American Colonial Church (five volumes, 1871–1878)

Historical Notes and Documents Illustrating the Organization of the Protestant Episcopal Church in America (1874)

Historical Sketch of the Protestant Episcopal Church. 1784–1884 (1884)

Literature

William Stevens Perry, Episcopate in America (1895), sketch and bibliography

References

^ Horton, Loren N. (2003). The Beautiful Heritage: A History of the Diocese of Iowa. Des Moines: Diocese of Iowa. p. 47.
^ Horton 2003, p. 50.
^ Horton 2003, p. 56.
^ Horton 2003, p. 61.
^ American Antiquarian Society Members Directory
^ Horton 2003, pp. 47–48.
^ "No. 26965". The London Gazette. 10 May 1898. pp. 2888–2889.

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help
)

External links

[Horton-1] Horton, Loren N. (2003). The Beautiful Heritage: A History of the Diocese of Iowa. Des Moines: Diocese of Iowa. p. 47.

[FOOTNOTEHorton200350-2] Horton 2003, p. 50.

[FOOTNOTEHorton200356-3] Horton 2003, p. 56.

[FOOTNOTEHorton200361-4] Horton 2003, p. 61.

[5] American Antiquarian Society Members Directory

[FOOTNOTEHorton200347–48-6] Horton 2003, pp. 47–48.

[7] "No. 26965". The London Gazette. 10 May 1898. pp. 2888–2889.

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[4]

[7]

v t e Episcopal Diocese of Iowa
Bishops	Henry Washington Lee William Stevens Perry Theodore Nevin Morrison Harry Sherman Longley Elwood Lindsay Haines Gordon V. Smith Walter Cameron Righter C. Christopher Epting Alan Scarfe Betsey Monnot
Cathedrals	Cathedral Church of Saint Paul, Des Moines Trinity Cathedral, Davenport
Churches	Christ Church, Burlington Church of the Saviour, Clermont St. John's Church, Dubuque St. Paul's Church, Durant St. Luke's Church, Fort Madison St. Paul's Church, Harlan Trinity Church, Iowa City St. Matthew's by the Bridge, Iowa Falls St. John's Church, Keokuk St. George's Church, Le Mars Trinity Memorial, Mapleton St. Barnabas Church, Montrose Trinity Church, Muscatine St. Stephen's Church, Newton St. James Church, Oskaloosa Trinity Church, Ottumwa St. Thomas Church, Sioux City St. Andrew's Church, Waverly
Former institutions	Clarissa Cook Home for the Friendless, Davenport St. Katharine's School, Davenport St. Luke's Hospital, Davenport

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