John Henry Ducachet Wingfield

The Right Reverend John Henry Ducachet Wingfield
Bishop of Northern California
Church	Episcopal Church
Diocese	Northern California
Elected	1874
In office	1874-1898
Successor	William Hall Moreland
Orders
Ordination	July 1, 1859 by John Johns
Consecration	December 2, 1874 by John Johns
Personal details
Born	(1833-09-24)September 24, 1833 Portsmouth, Virginia, United States
Died	July 27, 1898(1898-07-27) (aged 64) Benicia, California, United States
Buried	Blandford Cemetery
Nationality	American
Denomination	Anglican
Parents	John Henry Wingfield & Elizabeth Swepson
Spouse	Mary Imogene Chandler ​ ​ (m. 1859; died 1964)​ Elizabeth Dallam Lee ​ ​ (m. 1866; died 1972)​ Anne Matilda Dandridge Rainey ​ ​ (m. 1874)​
Alma mater	College of William & Mary
Signature

John Henry Ducachet Wingfield (September 24, 1833 – July 27, 1898) was the first bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern California, serving in that capacity from 1874 to 1898.

Early life and education

John Henry Ducachet Wingfield was born in Portsmouth, Virginia on September 24, 1833, son of the Reverend John Henry Wingfield and Elizabeth Swepson. He was educated at St Timothy's College in Maryland from where he graduated in 1850 and taught there for two years. He then attended the College of William & Mary, winning a prize for best essay at the latter and graduating in 1853. After this he returned to teaching at St Timothy's for a year. He also earned a Doctor of Divinity from the College of William & Mary in 1869 and a Doctor of Law in 1874. He also studied at the Virginia Theological Seminary, graduating in 1858.[1]

Ordained Ministry

Wingfield was ordained deacon on January 17, 1858 by Bishop George W. Freeman of Arkansas, and priest on July 1, 1859 by Bishop John Johns of Virginia. In July 1858 he became assistant to his father who was rector of Trinity Church in Portsmouth, Virginia and retained the position until 1864. He then became rector of Christ Church in Bel Air North, Maryland from 1864 until 1865, and then rector of St Paul's Church in Petersburg, Virginia from 1868-1875, where he founded the St. Paul's School for Young Ladies in 1871 and established a large school for the poor of the city.[2]

Bishop

He was consecrated as missionary bishop of Northern California on December 2, 1874, but remained in charge of his parish in Petersburg, Virginia until April 1, 1875. He also became rector of St Paul's Church at Benicia, California in 1876 and head of St. Mary's of the Pacific, a school for girls. He was elected Assistant Bishop of Mississippi in 1882 however he declined the position.[3] In 1892 he conducted services at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in Baltimore.[4]

He died in Benicia, California on July 27, 1898.[5]

References

1. The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. III. James T. White & Company. 1893. p. 468. Retrieved August 29, 2020 – via Google Books.
2. "JOHN HENRY DUCACHET WINGFIELD". The Living Church Annual and Clergy-list Quarterly. 1883: 83. Retrieved September 20, 2023 – via Google Books. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
3. "WINGFIELD, JOHN HENRY DUCACHET". Report of the Federal Security Agency: Office of Education: 2491. 1900.
4. "THE EPISCOPAL CONVENTION.; WESTERN TENNESSEE SET APART AS A NEW DIOCESE". The New York Times. October 20, 1892. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
5. "Bishop Wingfield Goes To His Reward". San Francisco Examiner. Benicia. July 28, 1898. p. 9. Retrieved August 29, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.