Alexander Viets Griswold

Alexander Viets Griswold ( born April 22, 1766 Simsbury, Connecticut; † February 15, 1843 in Boston ) was dated 17 July 1836 to his death Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States.

Its formation Griswold owes his uncle, who was also an Anglican priest. As a young man he owned a small farm, but decided in 1794 to study theology and was ordained a deacon and on 1 October of the same year on June 7, 1795 as a priest. His first three parishes as priests in Litchfield County in the U.S. state of Connecticut. In 1804 he was appointed rector of St. Michael Parish in Bristol (Rhode Iceland ).

In 1811 the dioceses of New England joined together ( with the exception of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut ) to form a so-called "Eastern Diocese ". This was not an independent diocese, since each member diocese retained his own bishop and remained independent in relation to the General Synod of the whole Church, but had its own bishop and coordination tasks. For this office Griswold was consecrated on May 31, 1811 by William White and Samuel Provoost and Abraham Jarvis. However, he remained active as a full-time parish priest in various parishes until 1835, the work was full-time as a bishop of the "Eastern Diocese ".

With the death of the fourth Presiding Bishop on July 17, 1836 Griswold Presiding Bishop was their serving as the senior bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church. After Griswold's death, the "Eastern Diocese " was dissolved.

After his episcopal ordination Griswold learned as part of the Second Great Awakening ( a revival movement in the U.S. in the first half of the 19th century ) a spiritual awakening, and his sermons and piety were emphasized evangelical. This experience also made ​​many at this time in his diocese. Thus tenfold the number of members of his church 1790-1840.