William Reed Huntington

For other people with the same name, see William Huntington (disambiguation).

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 by	Henry Codman Potter
Succeeded by	Charles Lewis Slattery
Rector of All Saints Church Worcester, Massachusetts
In office 1862–1883
Succeeded by	Alexander Hamilton Vinton
Assistant Rector of Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Boston
In office 1860–1862
Personal life
Born	September 20, 1838 Lowell, Massachusetts
Died	July 26, 1909(1909-07-26) (aged 70) Nahant, Massachusetts
Spouse	Theresa Reynolds ​ ​ (m. 1863; died 1872)​
Alma mater	Harvard University
Relatives	Elisha Huntington (father) Asahel Huntington (uncle)
Religious life
Religion	Episcopalian
Church	Episcopal Church
Ordination	October 1, 1861 (deacon) December 3, 1862 (priest)

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. The 1892 General Convention adopted his proposal to set the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds as the confession of faith.[2] Huntington was elected a member of the American Antiquarian Society in 1875.[3]

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.[4] 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.[5]

The Quadrilateral has had a significant impact on Anglican identity since its passage by the Lambeth Conference.[5] 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.[4]

Veneration

Huntington is honored with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church (USA) on July 27.[6]

References

1. 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. "The Episcopal Convention". The New York Times. 1892-10-21. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
3. American Antiquarian Society Members Directory
4. 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.
5. Sydnor, William (1980). Looking at the Episcopal Church. USA: Morehouse Publishing. p. 80.
6. Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2018. Church Publishing, Inc. 2019-12-17. ISBN 978-1-64065-235-4.

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Gilman, D. C.; Peck, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links

• Documents by William Reed Huntington from Project Canterbury
• Works by William Reed Huntington at Project Gutenberg
• Works by or about William Reed Huntington at the Internet Archive
• Works by William Reed Huntington at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)