Bishop William White, by Gilbert Stuart, 1795.


Oil on canvas of Bishop William White.
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The leader of two major Episcopal churches in Philadelphia (Christ Church and St. Peter's Church) Reverend William White served as chaplain of the Continental Congress during the American Revolution, and then as chaplain of the U.S. Senate. In 1787, White became the first bishop of the Episcopal Church in the new United States. An important advocate of African American attendance in the Episcopal church, White supported formation of the Free African Society, and after St. George's attempted to force black worshippers into the balcony - the action which precipitated Richard Allen's formation of the AME church - continued to support Absalom Jones, whom he ordained in 1802.