The Reverend Father
William Reed Huntington
D.D., D.C.L., L.H.D.
6th Rector of Grace Church
Manhattan, New York City
In office
1883–1909
Preceded byHenry Codman Potter
Succeeded byCharles Lewis Slattery
Rector of All Saints Church
Worcester, Massachusetts
In office
1862–1883
Succeeded byAlexander Hamilton Vinton
Assistant Rector of Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Boston
In office
1860–1862
Personal
BornSeptember 20, 1838
Lowell, Massachusetts
DiedJuly 26, 1909(1909-07-26) (aged 70)
Nahant, Massachusetts
ReligionEpiscopalian
Spouse
Theresa Reynolds
​
​
(m. 1863; died 1872)​
Alma materHarvard University
Relatives
ChurchEpiscopal Church
Senior posting
Ordination

William Reed Huntington (September 20, 1838 – July 26, 1909) was an American Episcopal priest and author, and known as the "First Presbyter of the Episcopal Church."

William Reed Huntington

Life

Huntington was born September 20, 1838, in Lowell, Massachusetts. He was the son of Elisha Huntington and Hannah Hinckley. He was also descendant of Christopher Huntington, one of the founders of Norwich, Connecticut[1] He began his education at Norwich University at Alden Partridge's military college in Norwich, Vermont, and eventually transferred and graduated from Harvard College in 1859 and in 1859–1860 taught as Assistant in Chemistry to Professor Josiah Parsons Cooke. Huntington studied theology under Frederick Dan Huntington and served as his assistant at Emmanuel Church in Boston, Massachusetts. Huntington was ordained deacon on October 1, 1861, and priest on December 3, 1862.[1] Entering the Episcopal ministry, he was rector of All Saints Church, Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1862–1883 and of Grace Church in Manhattan, New York from 1883 until his death.

Huntington always took a prominent part in public affairs. He was active in the movement for liturgical revisions and was secretary of the Prayer-Book Revisions Committee, and editor with Samuel Hart of the Standard Prayer-Book of 1892. Huntington was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1875.[2]

In October, 1863, Huntington married Theresa Reynolds, granddaughter of John Phillips, the first Mayor of Boston, and niece of Wendell Phillips. Together they had four children: Francis, Margaret, Theresa, and Mary. Reynolds died in 1872.[3] Huntington died July 26, 1909, in Nahant, Massachusetts.[1]

Works

The Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral had its genesis in an 1870 essay by Huntington. In The Church Idea, an Essay toward Unity Huntington's goal was to establish "a basis on which approach may be by God's blessing, made toward Home Reunion," i.e., with the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. The Quadrilateral is a four-point articulation of Anglican identity, often cited as encapsulating the fundamentals of the Communion's doctrine and as a reference-point for ecumenical discussion with other Christian denominations. The four points are:

  1. The Holy Scriptures, as containing all things necessary to salvation;
  2. The Creeds (specifically, the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds), as the sufficient statement of Christian faith;
  3. The dominical sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion;
  4. The historic episcopate, locally adapted.[4]

The Quadrilateral has had a significant impact on Anglican identity since its passage by the Lambeth Conference.[4] The Resolution came at a time of rapid expansion of the Anglican Communion, primarily in the territories of the British Empire. As such, it provided a basis for a shared ethos, one that became increasingly important as colonial churches influenced by British culture and values, evolved into national ones influenced by local norms.

Huntington also wrote:

  • Conditional Immortality (1878)
  • The Book Annexed: Its Critics and its Prospects (1886)
  • Short History of the Book of Common Prayer (1893)
  • A National Church (1898)
  • Sonnets and a Dream. Jamaica, Queensborough, New York: The Marion Press, 1899.
  • A Good Shepherd and Other Sermons (1906)

Honors

Huntington received honorary Doctor of Divinity (D.D.) degrees from Columbia University, Princeton University, and Harvard University. He also received a Doctor of Civil Law (D.C.L.) degree from the University of the South and a Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.) from Hobart College.[3]

Veneration

Huntington is honored with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church (USA) on July 27.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Slocum, Robert Boak; Armentrout, Don S, eds. (2000). An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians. New York, New York: Church Publishing Incorporated. ISBN 978-0898692112.
  2. ↑ American Antiquarian Society Members Directory
  3. 1 2 Chamberlain, Joshua L.; Wingate, Charles E. L.; Williams, Jesse Lynch; Lee, Albert; Paine, Henry G., eds. (1899). Universities and their Sons. Vol. III. Introduction by William Torrey Harris. R. Herndon Company. pp. 264–265.
  4. 1 2 Sydnor, William (1980). Looking at the Episcopal Church. USA: Morehouse Publishing. p. 80.
  5. ↑ Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2018. Church Publishing, Inc. 2019-12-17. ISBN 978-1-64065-235-4.
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