06/04/2026
Sharing this important part of our history. Don't neglect the full story in your own reading or the ongoing dialogue in the comments.
Today we begin our Summer Series on Bishops of Tennessee, leading us up to the election of our 12th Bishop of Tennessee on August 22, 2026.
The Rt. Rev. James Hervey Otey, first Bishop of Tennessee, was born January 27, 1800 in Liberty, Virginia. Otey graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1820 and then served there as a tutor for a year. In 1821 he became the principal of Harpeth Academy in Maury County, Tennessee. From 1823 until 1825, he was the principal of the Warrenton Academy, Warrenton, North Carolina. Otey studied for the ordained ministry under Bishop John Stark Ravenscroft of North Carolina. He was ordained deacon on October 16, 1825, and priest on June 17, 1827. From 1827 until 1834, he was rector of St. Paul's Church, Franklin, Tennessee, and held services in Columbia and Nashville. He helped to organize the Diocese of Tennessee and was consecrated its first bishop on January 14, 1834. He served in that position until his death on April 23, 1863. During his episcopate he served as Provisional Bishop of Mississippi and of Florida. He also served as Missionary Bishop of Arkansas, Louisiana, and the Indian Territory. Otey founded numerous schools in Tennessee. He was one of the founders of the University of the South and its first chancellor, serving from July 4, 1857, until his death. Otey's churchmanship was in the high church tradition of Bishop Ravenscroft. He stressed that the Episcopal Church was the American branch of the catholic church. He died in Memphis, Tennessee. (Source: https://www.episcopalchurch.org/glossary/otey-james-hervey/)
Photo: The Rt. Rev. James Hervey Otey
