J. (John) Williams

author

J. (John) Williams

1817–1899

An influential 19th-century Episcopal leader, he spent much of his life shaping church education and public worship in Connecticut. His career joined scholarship, preaching, and pastoral leadership in a way that left a lasting mark on the American church.

1 Audiobook

A Sermon Preached in Christ Church, Hartford, January 29th, 1865 In Commemoration of the Rt. Rev. Thomas Church Brownell, D. D., LL. D., Third Bishop of Connecticut, and Presiding Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States by his Assistant and Successor

A Sermon Preached in Christ Church, Hartford, January 29th, 1865 In Commemoration of the Rt. Rev. Thomas Church Brownell, D. D., LL. D., Third Bishop of Connecticut, and Presiding Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States by his Assistant and Successor

by J. (John) Williams

About the author

Born on August 30, 1817, in Deerfield, Massachusetts, John Williams studied at Trinity College and was ordained in the Episcopal Church in 1838. Early in his career he served in parish ministry in New York, and he later became president of Trinity College in Hartford, building a reputation as both a teacher and a churchman.

In 1851 he was consecrated assistant bishop of Connecticut, and after the death of Thomas Church Brownell he became bishop of the diocese. He remained a central figure in Connecticut church life for decades and eventually also served as presiding bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States.

Williams was known not only for leadership but also for writing and preaching. Works associated with him include sermons and religious addresses such as The Christian Scholar, reflecting his interest in learning, faith, and the role of the church in public life. He died on February 7, 1899.