John Burgess (bishop)

John Melville Burgess (March 11, 1909 – August 24, 2003) was the twelfth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts in Boston, Massachusetts from 1970 to 1975 and the first African American to head an Episcopal diocese.[1]

The Right Reverend John Melville Burgess D.D.
Bishop of Massachusetts
Church	Episcopal Church
See	Massachusetts
In office	1970-1975
Predecessor	Anson Phelps Stokes Jr.
Successor	John Bowen Coburn
Orders
Ordination	January 25, 1935 by John N. McCormick
Consecration	June 7, 1962 by Arthur C. Lichtenberger
Personal details
Born	March 11, 1909 Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States
Died	August 24, 2003 (aged 94) Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts, United States
Parents	Theodore Thomas Burgess & Ethel Inez Beverly
Spouse	Esther J. Taylor
Children	2
Previous post	Suffragan Bishop of Massachusetts (1962-1969) Coadjutor Bishop of Massachusetts (1969-1970)
Alma mater	University of Michigan

Biography

Burgess was the son of Theodore Thomas (a dining car waiter on the Pere Marquette Railway) and Ethel Inez Beverly (a kindergarten teacher) Burgess. He attended Central High School in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He received a B.A. in 1930 and an M.A. in 1931 from the University of Michigan. Burgess then earned a Master of Divinity degree from the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1934, of which he was one of the first black graduates.[2]

After beginning his ministry in his home parish of St. Philip's Episcopal; a Colored Episcopal Mission in Grand Rapids and then Cincinnati, Ohio, Burgess became the Episcopal chaplain at Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1946. In 1951, he became the first African American to serve as canon at Washington National Cathedral. In 1956, Burgess moved to the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts as an archdeacon of Boston's parishes and missions and superintendent of what became named the Episcopal City Mission. He was the first black archdeacon in New England.[3]

In 1962, Burgess was installed as a suffragan bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, becoming the first African American to serve the Episcopal Church as spiritual leader in a predominantly white diocese.[4] When Burgess was consecrated as diocesan bishop in 1970, he became the first African American to head an Episcopal diocese.

Burgess was known for his efforts to revitalize urban ministry, confront racism in public schools, support prison reform, build bridges between black and white communities, and improve the efficiency of the diocese. He was an important ecumenical leader in maintaining peace during the Boston school desegregation crisis.[2]

Following his retirement in 1975, Burgess taught pastoral theology at the Yale Divinity School. He was awarded honorary degrees from the University of Michigan, Boston College, Assumption College, the University of Massachusetts, Trinity College, Northeastern University, and St. Augustine's College.[5]

Selected works

• Burgess, John M. (1982). Black Gospel/White Church. New York, NY: Seabury Press. ISBN 0-8164-0511-5.

References

• Aaseng, Nathan (2003). "Burgess, John Melville". African-American Religious Leaders. New York, NY: Facts on File. p. 29. ISBN 0-8160-4878-9.
• Pace, Eric (August 27, 2003). "John Burgess, 94, Episcopalian Who Broke Color Bar as Bishop". New York Times. New York, NY: The New York Times Company. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
• "John Burgess, Was Episcopal Bishop". Vineyard Gazette. Edgartown, MA. August 25, 2003. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
• "History of the Diocese". Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
• "Religion: Boston's Negro Bishop". Time Magazine. December 21, 1962. Retrieved February 12, 2013.

Endnotes

1. "History of the Diocese". Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
2. Rodman, Edward W. (2004). "John Melville Burgess". In Gates Jr., Henry Louis; Higginbotham, Evelyn Brooks (eds.). African American Lives. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc. p. 127. ISBN 0-19-516024-X.
3. Driscoll Jr., Edgar J. (August 27, 2003). "Bishop John Burgess, 94; broke color barrier in Mass". Boston Globe. Boston, MA: Globe Newspaper Company. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
4. "Religion: Boston's Negro Bishop". Time Magazine. December 21, 1962. Retrieved February 12, 2013.
5. Brennan, Carol (2005). "John M. Burgess,1909-2003". Contemporary Black Biography. Retrieved 13 February 2013.

Episcopal Church (USA) titles
Preceded by Anson Phelps Stokes Jr.	Bishop of Massachusetts 1970–1975	Succeeded by John Bowen Coburn