William Croswell Doane - Early Life

Early Life

Doane was born in Boston, and named for his father's best friend, the Rev. William Croswell. When he was born, his father, the Rev. George Doane, was Rector of Trinity Church, Boston, a prominent church. Within a year, his father was elected Bishop of New Jersey. While he was raised in Burlington, New Jersey, and attended St. Mary's School there, the place had little effect on him. In addition to also becoming an Episcopal priest like his father, he was also attached to the Oxford Movement like the elder Doane. He was ordained a Deacon on March 6, 1853, by his father at his home parish. Shortly thereafter, he married the former Sarah Katharine Condit; they had two children. He was ordained a priest in 1856 in the same church, and served at St. Barnabas Free Church in Burlington until 1860.

In 1863, he accepted a call to St. John's Church, Hartford, Connecticut, and he served there during the American Civil War. While there, parishioner Mark Twain pulled a joke on Doane, claiming "I have ... a book at home containing every word" of Doane's sermon that Sunday, then sent him an unabridged dictionary.

He moved to Albany, New York in 1867 to serve "the venerable parish of St. Peter's, Albany."

At the General Convention of 1868, in New York City, a new diocese of Albany was created, and Doane was elected the first bishop at the organizational convention of the diocese in St. Peter's Church. His election had "strong opposition," because he was a "young rector," but also because "the evangelical element ... looked upon Mr. Doane as a high churchman, his ritualistic practices...."