Samuel David Ferguson (January 1, 1842 – August 2, 1916) was an African American clergyman in Liberia. He was the first African American to be elected as a bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Liberia.

The Rt. Rev. Samuel D. Ferguson, D.D., D.C.L., Fourth Bishop of Liberia, 1885–1916. (c. 1908)

Biography

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Samuel David Ferguson was born in Charleston, South Carolina, on January 1, 1842.[1]

He moved with his family to Liberia when he was six years old. He was ordained a deacon on December 28, 1865, and a priest on March 15, 1868. He was consecrated as bishop on June 24, 1885, (Saint John the Baptist's Feast Day) at Grace Church, New York, becoming the first black member of the House of Bishops.[2] He married Mary Leonora Montgomery.

As Missionary Bishop of Liberia, he founded what is now Cuttington University.[3] Ferguson also established the Bromley Mission School. One of his protégés, Raphael Morgan, became an Episcopal priest in the United States but ultimately converted to the Russian Orthodox Church.

Ferguson remained in Liberia until his death in Monrovia in 1916.[4]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Johnson, Rossiter; Brown, John Howard, eds. (1906). The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans. Vol. IV. Boston: American Biographical Society. Retrieved March 19, 2022 – via Internet Archive.
  2. ^ African American Registry Archived April 3, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Cuttington University College site
  4. ^ "Obituary: The Right Rev. Samuel D. Ferguson". Brooklyn Eagle. August 4, 1916. p. 8. Retrieved March 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

References

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