Thomas C. Ely

Thomas Clark Ely (December 14, 1951 – August 30, 2025) was an American Episcopal priest who served as the 10th Bishop of Vermont from 2001 to 2019.

Education and career Ely graduated from Western Connecticut State University in 1975. In 1980 he received a Master of Divinity degree from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, which also awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2003.

Following ordination as a deacon and priest in the Diocese of Connecticut in 1980, Ely worked for the Greater Hartford regional ministry for 10 years. From 1980 to 1985 he was assistant missioner of the Middlesex area cluster ministry, and from 1985 to 1991 he directed the diocesan youth ministry and its retreat center at Camp Washington.

Ely served as the 10th Bishop of Vermont from 2001 to 2019. During his tenure he was involved in ecumenical, international and youth activities.

Personal life and death In 1976 Ely married Martha Ann Wiggins, with whom he had two daughters. He died in Rutland, Vermont, on August 30, 2025, at the age of 73.