Before you read the tables below, it might be helpful to define some terms.
A bishop is the supervisor of clergy and laity within a certain area (diocese). It’s the third order of ordained ministry; from the Greek word episcopos, meaning ‘overseer’. A bishop traditionally is chosen from among the priests and is ordained to the episcopate by three other bishops to preserve the apostolic succession and to ensure continuity with church teachings.
A diocesan bishop is the chief administrators of a diocese. A suffragan bishop is an assistant bishop who has been elected to that position. A bishop coadjutor is also an assistant bishop who is elected, but with the right of succession. An assisting bishop is someone who is already a bishop, and who is appointed to help a diocesan bishop or who acts in an interim capacity during the absence of a diocesan bishop. The presiding bishop is the chief bishop of a national church, sometimes called a primate or archbishop.
In the rosters below, the number in parentheses after a bishop’s name refers to the rank in succession from the first American bishop, Samuel Seabury.
| Number in the succession of American bishops and Name of Diocesan | Born/Died | Served | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
I |
John Croes (16)
|
1762–1832 |
1815–1832
|
|
II
|
George Washington Doane (29)
|
1799–1859
|
1832–1859
|
|
III
|
William Henry Odenheimer (66)
|
1817–1879 |
1859–1874
|
|
IV
|
John Scarborough (111)
|
1831–1914
|
1875–1914
|
|
V
|
Paul Matthews (278) |
1866–1954 |
1915–1937
|
|
VI
|
Wallace John Gardner (395)
|
1883–1954 |
1937–1954
|
|
VII
|
Alfred Lothian Banyard (459)
|
1908–1992
|
1955–1973*
|
|
VIII
|
Albert Wiencke Van Duzer (614) |
1917–1999
|
1973–1982*
|
|
IX
|
George Phelps Mellick Belshaw (702)
|
1928–2020
|
1983–1994*
|
|
X
|
Joe Morris Doss (886)
|
1943– |
1995–2002*
|
|
|
vacant
|
|
2002–2003
|
|
XI |
George Edward Councell (990)
|
1949–2018
|
2003–2013
|
|
XII
|
William H. Stokes (1078)
|
1957–
|
2013–2023
|
|
XIII
|
Sally J. French (1158)
|
1970–
|
2023-
|
*See list of other bishops
| Other Bishops | Title | Born - Died | Consecrated | Served |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Albion W. Knight (224) |
Coadjutor
|
1859–1936 |
1904
|
1923–1935
|
|
Ralph E. Urban (384)
|
Suffragan
|
1875–1935
|
1932
|
1932–1935
|
|
Alfred Lothian Banyard^
|
Suffragan
|
1908–1992 |
1945
|
1945–1955
|
|
Albert Wiencke Van Duzer^
|
Suffragan
|
1917–1999
|
1966
|
1966–1972
|
|
|
Coadjutor |
|
|
1972–1973
|
|
George Phelps Mellick Belshaw^
|
Suffragan
|
1928–928 |
1975
|
1975–1982
|
|
|
Coadjutor
|
|
|
1982–1983
|
|
Vincent King Pettit (781)
|
Suffragan |
1924–2006
|
1984
|
1984–1991
|
|
Joe Morris Doss^
|
Coadjutor
|
1943–
|
1993
|
1993–1994
|
|
Herbert A. Donovan, Jr. (748)
|
Assisting
|
1931– |
1980
|
1999–2000
|
|
David Bruce Joslin (871) |
Assisting
|
1936–
|
1991
|
2000–2003
|
|
Sylvestre Donate Romero |
Assisting; then Assistant
|
1944–
|
1994
|
2007; 2008-2010
|
^See list of diocesans
