Samuel Seabury
Samuel Seabury (1729-1796) was a prominent Anglican clergyman and the first bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States. Born in Groton, Connecticut, he initially pursued a career in medicine before being ordained while studying in Edinburgh, Scotland. Seabury became a missionary for the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, serving in several locations, including New Jersey and New York, where he became an advocate for Anglican interests, notably calling for an American bishop.
As tensions escalated leading up to the American Revolutionary War, Seabury published articles and pamphlets expressing Loyalist sentiments and critiquing the authority of the Continental Congress. His writings, which included the series "Letters of a Westchester Farmer," acknowledged colonial grievances while defending British rule. After being arrested for his Loyalist activities, he fled to British-occupied New York City, where he served as a chaplain and physician to British troops. In 1784, he was elected as the bishop of Connecticut, ultimately choosing to remain in America rather than relocate to England. Seabury's legacy continues within the Episcopal Church, reflecting the complexities of faith and loyalty during a turbulent period in American history.
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Samuel Seabury
Episcopal Bishop
- Born: November 30, 1729
- Birthplace: Groton, Connecticut
- Died: February 25, 1796
- Place of death: New London, Connecticut
Biography
Samuel Seabury was born in Groton, Connecticut, in 1729, the son of the minister of a Congregational church in the town of North Groton. Shortly after Seabury was born, his father became an Anglican clergyman and embarked on a career as a missionary for the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. His father moved his family to New London, Connecticut, to begin his new job, and the family later moved to Long Island, New York after the society offered his father a position there. After completing his secondary education, Seabury attended Yale University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1748. He then took a position as a lay reader with the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel and studied medicine.
In 1752, Seabury traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland, for further medical training, and while he was there he was ordained as a clergyman of the Anglican church. In 1754, Seabury returned to the United States and became a missionary for the Society of the Propagation of the Gospel, just as his father had before him. He was initially assigned to New Jersey, where he met and married Mary Hicks. In the late 1750’s, Seabury was called to serve in New York, where he remained until the start of the Revolutionary War. In the years preceding the war, Seabury published a number of articles in defense of Anglican issues, most notably calling for an American Anglican bishop, a long- standing and contentious issue for Anglican colonists. His articles appeared in the New York Gazette and Weekly Mercury, signed “A Whip for the American Whig.”
Between 1774 and 1775, Seabury published a series of pamphlets, some of which were signed by A. W. Farmer; in 1930, the pamphlets were published collectively as Letters of a Westchester Farmer. These pamphlets were staunchly Loyalist tracts, acknowledging that colonists had legitimate grievances but refuting the authority of the Continental Congress to address these issues. Seabury was arrested for his Loyalist activities in 1775, but was released within a month. He later guided British troops in their fight against the revolutionaries. Seabury eventually fled to British-occupied New York City, where he served as chaplain and a physician to the British troops.
In 1777, Seabury published his sermon St. Peter’s Exhortation to Fear God and Honor the King, in which he continued his defense of England. Seabury was preparing to leave for England when the Connecticut Anglicans selected him to be their bishop. He chose to remain in America and accept the position. He settled in New London, Connecticut, where he resided until his death in 1796.