George Washington Doane

George Washington Doane (May 27, 1799 – April 27, 1859) was an American churchman, educator, and the second bishop in the Episcopal Church for the Diocese of New Jersey.

Early life and career

Doane was born in Trenton, New Jersey. He graduated from Union College, Schenectady, New York, in 1818. He did additional studies in theology and, in 1821, was ordained deacon. In 1823 he was ordained as an Episcopal priest by Bishop Hobart, whom he assisted in Trinity Church, New York.

With George Upfold (1796–1872), Bishop of Indiana from 1849 to 1872, Doane founded St. Luke's Church in New York City. From 1824 to 1828 he was professor of belles-lettres in Washington (now Trinity) College, Hartford, Connecticut. At this time, he was one of the editors of the Episcopal Watchman. He was assistant in 1828–1830 and rector in 1830–1832 of Trinity Church, Boston.

Bishop of New Jersey Doane was called as second bishop of New Jersey, serving from October 1832 to his death in 1859 at Burlington, New Jersey. In 1837, he founded St. Mary's Hall (now Doane Academy), to provide a classical education for girls. It was the first such boarding school for girls in the United States, in a period when numerous schools for girls were founded.

Legacy Among those whom Doane had ordained during his lifetime was Joseph Wolff, a Jewish Christian missionary.

Doane's biography and bibliography, Life and Writings of George Washington Doane (4 vols, New York, 1860–1861), was edited by his son, William Croswell Doane (1832–1913). He followed his father into the clergy and was called as the first Bishop of Albany. That both Doane and his son became "bishops [was] a situation possibly not unique but certainly rare enough to be remarked upon."

Founded in 1837 and now known as Doane Academy, the private school he founded is coeducational, serving grades Pre-K through 12, and has a substantial endowment to ensure its future. It was the first academic, church run school for girls in the United States.