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To begin the review of our episcopacy, we have the first bishop in the Diocese of Ohio, Philander Chase. Born on December 14, 1775 as the 15th child of Dudley and Alice Chase, he was raised in a Puritan household. While attending Dartmouth, he found A Book of Common Prayer. After studying it, he became adamant about entering into the ministry. On May 10, 1798, Chase was ordained to the diaconate in St. George's Church in New York. After traveling to New York on missionary work, Chase established a parish in Lake George, New York and was then ordained to the priesthood on November 10, 1799. He, along with his wife and children, then traveled to Poughkeepsie where he preached and took charge of the seminary. In 1805, Chase traveled to New Orleans to take charge of Christ Church. In New Orleans, the Chase family ministered to two men who had been brought to America as slaves; one died and one was restored to health. This act would later cause a delay in the bishop's consecration as a misunderstanding arose and he was falsely accused of being a slave owner. He then returned to Hartford, Connecticut to be the rector of Christ Church until 1817.
On June 3, 1818, Chase was elected the first Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio. However, due to the opposition of the southern laymen, he was not consecrated as Bishop until February 11, 1819. Realizing the need for educating young men for the ministry, Bishop Chase, with no support from the Diocese of the East, traveled to England to secure funds for "The Ohio Project." Impressed with his acts in New Orleans, Bishop Chase returned with enough funds to start a theological school. The college was opened on Gambier Hill in 1828. Bishop Chase served as the ruling head of the school as well as the ex-officio head of the faculty and Board of Trustees. The amount of management Bishop Chase had began a controversy. This controversy led to his resignation as the Bishop at the Convention in September of 1831.
He then moved to Michigan. However, in 1835, Bishop Chase was chosen to become the first Bishop of Illinois. Here he decided to build a new college in Peoria County. In 1836, Jubilee College was opened. The school closed during the Great Depression in the 1930s but has been turned into a park. In 1844, Bishop Chase became the Senior Bishop and was the Presiding Bishop of the next two General Conventions. In 1852, he was thrown off a horse, a frequent occurrence in the bishop's life. Bishop Chase died from his injuries on September 20, 1852. He is buried in God's Acre at Jubilee College, a spot which he himself selected.
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