Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1889, volume 6).djvu/529

Rh Orange, N. J., 17 Oct., 1879. He was the son of English parents. Plis father, while actively en- gaged in business, found time for scholarly pur- suits, while his mother, with- a view to her son's education, made herself acquainted with the learned languages, and became so proficient in them that she gave lessons in Hebrew to divinity students. Young Whittingham had no instruc- tion other than that he received at home until he was sent to the General theological seminary, where he was graduated in 1825. After being or- dered deacon in 1827 he was assigned to mission- ary work in the neighborhood of Orange, N. J. He was ordained priest, 17 Dec., 1829, when he be- came rector of St. Mark's in the latter place. In 1831 he accepted the rectorship of St. Luke's, New York city, and remained there until 1835, when, after a voyage to Europe for his health, he was chosen professor of ecclesiastical history in the General theological seminary. This chair he occu- pied until 1840. In that year, after a spirited con- test among the friends of several candidates, he was elected bishop of Maryland, and consecrated on 17 Sept. in St. Paul's, Baltimore. From his ac- cession the diocese advanced rapidly in all that concerns church improvement, and his personal influence with both clergy and laity was as extra- ordinary as it was beneficent. Among several charitable and educational institutions that were founded through his efforts were St. James's col- lege, Hagerstown, Md. ; the Church home and in- firmary, Baltimore; an order of deaconesses ; and the Sisterhood of St. John in Washington. At the beginning of the civil war Dr. Whittingham's earnest advocacy of the Union cause separated him temporarily from the sympathies of many of his people, but his attitude then enabled him to labor more successfully for the unity of the church when the struggle had ended. In 1869 the diocese of Easton was set off from that of Maryland, and in 1870 Rev. William Pinkney, D. D., was appointed to relieve Bishop Whittingham of a part of his labors. In 1872 he represented the American church at the Lambeth conference, and subsequently he attended the meeting of Old Catholics at Bonn in a sim- ilar capacity. Bishop Whit- tingham was a pronounced high - church- man, although he is under- stood to have somewhat mod- ified his opin- ions later in life. His pecu- liar views en- gaged him on several occa- sions in contro- versies with his clergyon points of church government. Among these were his presentation in 1876 for not bringing to trial the rector of Mount Calvary for reading prayers for the dead, and the earlier contest with Rev. Dr. Joseph Trapnell, of St. Andrew's, concerning the prior right of the bishop to celebrate communion at confirmations. During the war he had occasion to rebuke his clergy severe- ly for omitting from the service the prayer for the president. For many years before his death Dr. Whittingham was an invalid. His last official act was performed on 7 Nov., 1878. At the time of his consecration he was the youngest of the American bishops ; at his death he was the oldest but one. having been thirty-nine years in the episcopal office. He received the degree of S. T. D. from Co- lumbia in 1827. Besides editing the " Family Visi- tor " and " Children's Magazine," monthly pviblica- tions, and " The Churchman," issued weekly, he was the editor of "The Parish Library of Standard Works," with an introduction and notes (13 vols., 1828 et seq.) ; Jahn's " Introduction to the Old Tes- tament," with Dr. Samuel H. Turner (1827) ; Will- iam Palmer's " Treatise on the Church of Christ " (2 vols., 1841); the " Commonitoriurn " of Vincent of Lerius, being a new translation with notes, etc. (1847) ; and " Ratramm on the Lord's Supper," with a revised translation (1848). He also contributed, with three other clergymen, to " Essays and Disser- tations in Biblical Literature " (New York. 1829).

WHITTLE, Francis McNeece, P. E. bishop, b. in Mecklenburg county, Va., 7 July, 1823. He was graduated at the Virginia theological semi- nary, Alexandria, in 1847, ordered deacon, 16 July, 1847, and ordained priest, 8 Oct., 1848. He was rector of Kanawha parish, Kanawha co., Va., in 1847-'9, of St. James, Northam parish, Gooch- land co. in 1849-'52, of Grace church, Berryville, in 1852-'7, and of St. Paul's, Louisville, Ky.. in 1857-'68. He was elected assistant bishop of Vir- ginia, 17 May, 1867, and consecrated in St. Paul's church, Alexandria, Va., 30 April, 1868. Upon the death of Bishop Johns, 4 April, 1876, he became bishop of Virginia. He received the degree of D. D. from the Theological seminary of Ohio in 1867, and that of LL. D. from William and Mary col- lege in 1873. In 1877 the diocese of Virginia was divided, West Virginia being set off as a separate diocese. Bishop Whittle chose the old diocese.

WHITTLESEY, Abigail Goodrich, educator, b. in Ridgefield, Conn., 29 Nov., 1788 ; d. in Col- chester, Conn., 16 July, 1858. She was a sister of Charles A. and Samuel G. Goodrich, was educated at Berlin, Conn., and married in 1808 the Rev. Samuel Whittlesey, who was pastor at New Pres- ton, Conn., for several years, then was steward for a short time of the American asylum for the deaf and dumb at Hartford, and afterward was associ- ated with her in conducting large female semina- ries in Utica and Canandaigua, N. Y. She began in 1832, while in Utica, the publication of the " Mother's Magazine," which she edited till about 1850, and subsequently revived under the title of " The Magazine for Mothers and Daughters."

WHITTLESEY, Elisha, lawyer, b. in Washington, Conn., 19 Oct., 1783; d. in Washington, D. C., 7 Jan., 1863. He was brought up on a farm, received an academical education, studied law, and on his admission to the bar began practice in Canfield, Ohio, in 1806. He served as an aide-de-camp during the war of 1812-'15, was for sixteen years prosecuting attorney of his district, a member of the Ohio state house of representatives in 1820-'1, and served in congress from Ohio by successive elections from 1 Dec., 1823, till 9 July, 1838, when he resigned. He was one of the founders of the Whig party, was appointed by President Harrison in 1841 auditor of the post-office department, and by President Taylor in 1849 first comptroller of the treasury, from which post he was removed by President Buchanan in 1857, but he was reappointed by President Lincoln in 1861, and held office till his death. In 1845 he was appointed general agent and director of the Washington