author
Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright
1792–1854
An Episcopal leader in early 19th-century America, he helped shape church life in New York and Boston and was also known for his work in sacred music. His career carried him from Harvard classrooms to the office of provisional Bishop of New York.
1 Audiobook
A Sermon Preached on the Anniversary of the Boston Female Asylum for Destitute Orphans, September 25, 1835
by Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright
About the author
Born in Liverpool, England, on February 24, 1792, to American parents, he came to the United States as a boy and graduated from Harvard in 1812. After teaching there for a time, he entered the Episcopal ministry, becoming a deacon in 1817 and a priest in 1818.
His ministry took him through several important churches: he served at Trinity Church in New York, was rector of Grace Church in New York from 1821 to 1834, then rector of Trinity Church in Boston, and later rector of St. John's Church in New York. He was known not only as a preacher and church leader but also as a music editor, showing an interest in the sound and texture of worship as well as its theology.
In 1852 he was consecrated provisional Bishop of New York, a role he held until his death in Manhattan on September 21, 1854. Remembered as a steady figure in the Episcopal Church during a time of growth and change, he left a mark through both his pastoral work and his contributions to church music.