Thomas F. Gailor

Thomas Frank Gailor (September 17, 1856 – October 3, 1935) was an American Episcopal bishop who served as the third Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee from 1898 until his death in 1935.

Born in Jackson, Mississippi, Gailor was the son of Frank Marion Gailor and Charlotte Moffett. His early education included attendance at a secondary school affiliated with Racine College in Wisconsin. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Racine College in 1876. Racine College was influenced by the educational models of the College and Grammar School of Saint James in Hagerstown, Maryland, established in 1842, and St. Peter's College in Radley, UK, founded in 1847. Both institutions were notable for their academic reputation.

Following his undergraduate studies, Gailor attended the General Theological Seminary in New York, where he completed a S.T.B. degree in 1879. In the same year, he received a Master of Arts degree from Racine College. He was ordained as a deacon in the Episcopal Church in 1879 and as a priest in 1880.

Gailor's clerical career began with his service as a deacon at Messiah Church in Pulaski, Tennessee. In 1882, he was appointed Professor of Ecclesiastical History and Polity at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. He later became Vice-Chancellor (equivalent to a university president) at Sewanee and served as the eighth Chancellor of the university from June 23, 1908, until his death in 1935.

In 1893, Gailor was consecrated as an Assistant Bishop of Tennessee. Five years later, in 1898, he was elected the third Bishop of Tennessee. He held significant leadership roles within the Episcopal Church; in 1916, he was elected president of the House of Bishops, and in 1919, he was elected president of the National Council of the Episcopal Church, serving until 1925. The year 1921 saw him receive an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Oglethorpe University.

Gailor also participated in national political events; notably, on June 25, 1924, he delivered the invocation at the opening of the second day of the Democratic National Convention.

He died in Sewanee on October 3, 1935.

In terms of family, Gailor's daughter, Ellen Douglas Gailor, was married in 1923 to Richard Folsom Cleveland, who was the son of former United States President Grover Cleveland.

References to Gailor can be found in various sources, including the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture and the bibliographies from Project Canterbury. Additional information is available through media related to Thomas F. Gailor at Wikimedia Commons.