James Kemp (bishop)

The Right Reverend James Kemp (1764 – October 28, 1827) was the second bishop of the Diocese of Maryland (1816-1827.

Life and career

James Kemp was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, graduating from Marischal College in 1786. He emigrated to Maryland in 1787, living with a family in Dorchester County. Brought up a Presbyterian, he joined the Episcopal Church and was ordained priest on December 27, 1789. The next August Kemp became rector of Great Choptank Parish, serving until 1813, when he was elected associate rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Baltimore. Kemp was elected suffragan bishop and consecrated on September 1, 1814, serving under Bishop Thomas J. Claggett and overseeing the churches on the Eastern Shore. Kemp became diocesan bishop when Claggett died in 1816.

Consecrators

• The Most Reverend William White, fourth presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church
• The Right Reverend John Henry Hobart, third bishop of New York
• The Right Reverend Richard Channing Moore, second bishop of Virginia

James Kemp was the 15th bishop consecrated in the Episcopal Church.

See also

• Succession of Bishops of the Episcopal Church in the United States

References

• Virtual American Biographies: James Kemp

• The Episcopal Church Annual. Morehouse Publishing: New York, NY (2005).