In office 1941— 1953 Consecration 1941 | Successor Frank Burrill | |
Church Episcopal Church in the United States of America See Episcopal Diocese of Chicago Predecessor George C. Stewart, VI Bishop of Chicago Born October 25, 1896
Beacon, Dutchess County, New York ( 1896-10-25 ) Died 27 August 1967, Stuart, Florida, United States | ||
Wallace Edmonds Conkling was the seventh bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago and served from 1941 to 1953. He was born October 25, 1896, in Matteawan, now part of Beacon, New York. and died August 27, 1979, in Stuart, Florida.
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Education and early career
He received his undergraduate degree from Williams College, his divinity degree from Philadelphia Divinity School and a Master's from Oxford. He taught in seminaries before becoming rector of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, his only extended parish ministry before being elected Bishop of Chicago.
His episcopate
During his 13 years as Bishop of Chicago, Conkling worked hard to build missions and to reduce the diocese's indebtedness. Illness forced him to retire in 1953. He was a bishop associate of the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament.
Retirement years
After his retirement, Bishop Conkling moved with his wife and their two daughters to Vero Beach, Florida. His wife, the former Constance Lilian Sowby, was born in 1898 in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, England and died March 9, 1969, in Vero Beach. Both were interred on the grounds of All Saints Episcopal Church, Jensen Beach, Florida, where he had served for many years as bishop in residence.