Adna Wright Leonard

Bishop Adna Wrigh Leonard
Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church
Church	United Methodist Church
Diocese	Washington D.C.
In office	1916–1943
Orders
Ordination	1899
Personal details
Born	(1874-11-02)November 2, 1874 Cincinnati, Ohio, US
Died	May 3, 1943(1943-05-03) (aged 68) Fagradalsfjall, Iceland
Education	New York University Drew Theological Seminary The American School of Archeology in Rome

Bishop Adna Wright Leonard I (November 2, 1874 – May 3, 1943) was a Methodist bishop in Buffalo, New York, and the first chairman of the Methodist Commission on Chaplains. He was killed in 1943 in a plane crash on his way to Iceland to visit Methodist chaplains and their troops.[1]

Biography

He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 2, 1874, to Adna Bradway Leonard (1837–1916) and Caroline (Kaiser) Leonard (1840–1899). He was elected bishop in 1916.[1]

He married Mary Luella Day (1873–1956) on October 9, 1901, and had the following children: Adna Wright Leonard II (1904–1986); and Phyllis Day (Leonard) Budd (1907–2002).

He was elected to the episcopacy of the Methodist Episcopal Church at the 1916 General Conference. He served in San Francisco, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C.

Death

Leonard was killed on May 3, 1943, in the crash of the B-24 Liberator Hot Stuff at Fagradalsfjall in Iceland where he was traveling on his way to Iceland to visit Methodist chaplains and their troops.[1] Thirteen other people were killed in the plane crash, including Lieutenant General Frank Maxwell Andrews and Brigadier General Brigadier General Charles H. Barth Jr.

Career

• President of the New York Anti-Saloon League
• Chairman The Methodist Commission on Chaplains
• Headed trustees of the University of Southern California

See also

• List of bishops of the United Methodist Church

References

1. "Guide to the Adna Wright Leonard Collection". United Methodist Archives and History Center. Retrieved 2016-03-15. Adna Wright Leonard (1874-1943), American bishop, was born November 2, 1874, in Cincinnati. He was the only son of Reverend and Mrs. A.B. Leonard. His father was the mission secretary of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Leonard married Mary Luella Day on October 9, 1901. ...