author
Henry Benjamin Whipple
1822–1901
A pioneering Episcopal bishop in Minnesota, he became known far beyond the church for defending Native American rights and pressing the U.S. government to reform its treatment of Indigenous peoples. His life joined missionary work, public advocacy, and a deep commitment to justice on the nineteenth-century frontier.
1 Audiobook
Five Sermons
by Henry Benjamin Whipple
About the author
Born in Adams, New York, in 1822, Henry Benjamin Whipple was raised Presbyterian but later entered the Episcopal ministry. He was ordained in 1849 and, in 1859, became the first Episcopal bishop of Minnesota, a role that placed him at the center of both church building and public life in a fast-changing region.
Whipple is especially remembered for his work among the Dakota and Ojibwe and for speaking out against corruption and abuse in the federal Indian system. After the U.S.–Dakota War of 1862, he was one of the few prominent white leaders to argue against the mass execution of Dakota men, urging more careful review and greater mercy.
Alongside his advocacy, he helped establish important Episcopal institutions in Minnesota, including work in Faribault that grew into major schools and a divinity school. He died in 1901, and his reputation has endured as that of a church leader who tried to pair faith with practical courage.