Charles Minnigerode Beckwith

Charles Minnigerode Beckwith (June 2, 1851 – April 18, 1928) was fourth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama from 1902 till 1928.

The Right Reverend Charles Minnigerode Beckwith
Bishop of Alabama
Beckwith in 1913
Church	Episcopal Church
Diocese	Alabama
Elected	October 8, 1902
In office	1902–1928
Predecessor	Robert Woodward Barnwell
Successor	William G. McDowell
Orders
Ordination	1881 by John W. Beckwith
Consecration	December 17, 1902 by Thomas Underwood Dudley
Personal details
Born	(1851-06-02)June 2, 1851 Petersburg, Virginia, United States
Died	April 18, 1928(1928-04-18) (aged 76) Montgomery, Alabama, United States
Buried	Greenwood Cemetery (Montgomery, Alabama)
Nationality	American
Denomination	Anglican
Parents	Thomas Stanley Beckwith & Agnes Ruffin
Spouse	Susan Rainsford Fairbanks (m. 1884-1885) Lucy Cocke (m. 1888-1891) Mary Belle Cameron (m. 1897-1928)
Children	2

Early life and education

Beckwith was born on June 2, 1851, in Petersburg, Virginia, son of Thomas Stanley Beckwith and Agnes Ruffin. He was educated at the University of Georgia from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1873. He was also a member of Phi Delta Theta. After graduation, he served as assistant professor of mathematics at the University of the South between 1874 and 1876 and later served as master of Sewanee Grammar School at the University of the South from 1876 till 1879. In 1879, he enrolled at the Berkeley Divinity School in Middletown, Connecticut and graduated in 1881. He earned a Doctor of Divinity from Sewanee: The University of the South in 1902 and a Doctor of Sacred Theology from Berkeley in 1903. ^[1]

Ordained ministry

He was ordained to the diaconate and priesthood in 1881 by his uncle, Bishop John W. Beckwith of Georgia. He served as rector of St. Luke's Church in Atlanta, Georgia, from 1884 to 1886. While rector he was elected Assistant Bishop of Texas but declined the appointment. Later, in 1886, he became rector of Christ Church in Houston, Texas, and in 1892 became rector of Trinity Church in Galveston, Texas, where he remained until 1902.^[2]

Bishop

Beckwith was elected Bishop of Alabama on October 8, 1902, during a special council which took place in St John's Church in Montgomery, Alabama. He was then consecrated in St Paul's Church in Selma, Alabama on December 17, 1902, by Bishop Thomas Underwood Dudley of Kentucky. ^[3] He died in office on April 18, 1928, in Montgomery, Alabama.