Henry Benjamin Whipple
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Henry Benjamin Whipple (February 15, 1822 – September 16, 1901) was the first Episcopal bishop of Minnesota. Born in Adams, N.Y., he was raised in the Presbyterian church but became an Episcopalian through the influence of his grandparents and his wife, Cornelia whom he married in 1842. Whipple attended Oberlin College from 1838 - 1839 and worked in his father's business until he was admitted to holy orders in 1848.
After ordination Whipple served parishes in Rome, N.Y. and Chicago, where he gained a reputation for his service to poor immigrant groups. His Chicago ministry drew him to the attention of the newly formed Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota which elected him its first bishop in 1859.
Although concerned with establishing his denomination in the new state of Minnesota,Whipple soon began to champion the cause of Native American groups in the state against what he saw as an abusive and corrupt Federal policy towards Indians. He is best known for his clemency pleas in favor of a group of Dakota or Sioux who fought against the United States government in the Dakota War of 1862 in the area around New Ulm, Minnesota. He is memorialized by the Bishop Whipple Federal Building in Ft. Snelling, Minnesota, which houses, among other things, offices for members of Minnesota's congressional delegation. He is buried beneath the altar of the Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour in Faribault, Minnesota.
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[edit] References
- Hein, David. "Straight Tongue: Bishop Henry Benjamin Whipple." The Historiographer, vol. 41, no. 2 (Pentecost 2003), pp. 15-17. (The Historiographer is a publication of the Historical Society of the Episcopal Church and the National Episcopal Historians and Archivists.)
- Malone, Dumas ed. "Dictionary of American Biography", Vol X p.668
