David Reed (bishop)

David Benson Reed (born February 16, 1927) was the first Bishop of Colombia and the sixth Bishop of Kentucky in the Episcopal Church.[1]

For Bishop of West Texas, see David M. Reed.

The Right Reverend David Benson Reed D.D.
Bishop of Kentucky
Church	Episcopal Church
Diocese	Kentucky
In office	1974-1994
Predecessor	Charles G. Marmion
Successor	Edwin F. Gulick
Orders
Ordination	February 14, 1952 by Reginald Heber Gooden
Consecration	April 25, 1964 by Arthur C. Lichtenberger
Personal details
Born	(1927-02-16) February 16, 1927 Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Nationality	American
Denomination	Anglican
Parents	Paul Spencer Reed & Bonnie Frances Taylor
Spouse	Susan Henry Riggs (m. 1954, div) Catherine Camp Luckett (m. 1984)
Children	5
Previous post	Bishop of Colombia (1964-1972) Coadjutor Bishop of Kentucky (1972-1974)
Alma mater	Harvard University

Early Life and Education

Reed was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on February 16, 1927 to Paul Spencer Reed and Bonnie Frances Taylor. He graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1948, and then with a Bachelor of Divinity from the Virginia Theological Seminary in 1951.[2]

Ordained Ministry

Reed was ordained deacon in 1951. He then left for Costa Rica where he served at the Church of the Good Shepherd in San José, Costa Rica. He was then ordained priest on February 14, 1952 by Reginald Heber Gooden, Bishop of the Panama Canal Zone in St Luke's Cathedral, Ancón, Panama.[3] Between 1952 and 1958 he served numerous parishes in the Panama Canal Zone and Colombia. In 1958, he travelled back to the United States to serve as assistant in the Executive Council's Overseas Department in New York City. In 1962, he became vicar of St Matthew's Church in Rapid City, South Dakota, and served as a missionary to the Lakota Indians.[4]

Episcopacy

In 1963, Reed was elected as the first Episcopal Bishop of Colombia (which included Ecuador) and was consecrated on April 25, 1964 by Presiding Bishop Arthur C. Lichtenberger. Ultimately he spent a total of fifteen years in South America before returning to the United States.[1] In 1972, Bishop Reed was elected Coadjutor Bishop under the fifth Bishop of Kentucky, Charles Gresham Marmion. In 1974, Bishop Marmion retired and Bishop Reed became sixth Bishop of Kentucky. By then, he was known as a strong supporter of diversity and inclusivity. His diocese was one of the first to appoint women as priests after the Episcopal Church convention approved such an action in 1976.[1]

When the Rev. John Moore Hines announced that he would stop officiating at marriages and communion services as his protest against the Episcopal church's denial of the ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate, Bishop David B. Reed consented to inhibit Hines from these duties until the last day of the next Episcopal General Convention (then scheduled for September 23, 1976). The church press release stated that the Bishop' inhibition indicated official recognition of Hines' protest.[5]

In 1986, Bishop Reed led a year-long search to fill the deanship of Christ Church Cathedral in Louisville. On November 25, 1986, he and the cathedral chapter announced the selection of Rev. Geralyn Wolf, vicar of the 60-member St. Mary's church in Philadelphia. According to the Washington Post, Rev. Wolf is the first woman named to an Episcopal cathedral deanship since the American church allowed the ordination of women in 1976. The Post article also stated that a cathedral deanship is often the first step toward an ultimate selection as a bishop.[6] In 1994, upon Bishop Reed's retirement, Edwin Funsten Gulick was elected as Bishop of Kentucky.[1]

References

1. Kleber, John E., ed. (February 5, 2015). The Encyclopedia of Louisville. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 275–276. ISBN 978-0-8131-4974-5.
2. Marquis Who's Who (1984). Who's who in the South and Southwest, p. 644. Marquis Who's Who, Berkeley Heights, NJ. ISBN 0837908191.
3. "Ordinations". The Living Church. 124 (12): 22. 23 March 1952.
4. "David Benson Reed". The Episcopalian. 133: 62. 1968.
5. The Archives of the Episcopal Church. "News Brief. January 16, 1976 [76011." Accessed March 18, 2019.
6. Hyer, Marjorie. "Ky. Episcopal Cathedral First to Name Woman Dean." Washington Post. December 13, 1986. Accessed March 18, 2019.

See also

• Bishop coadjutor#Anglican communion

Episcopal Church (USA) titles
New title	Bishop of Colombia 1964–1972	Succeeded by William Franklin
Preceded by Charles G. Marmion	Bishop of Kentucky 1974–1994	Succeeded by Ted Gulick