Bracken was born probably in Westmorland County, England. On May 2, 1747, he was christened in the town of Winton, parish of Kirkby Stephen, the son of Joseph Bracken and a woman whose name is not recorded in the parish registers. Bracken's youth and education are not well documented. He arrived in Virginia not later than the summer of 1769, probably to tutor the children of one of the merchant families residing in or near Petersburg. In the summer of 1772 Bracken went back to England to be ordained a minister of the Church of England and with an expectation that he would become curate of Raleigh Parish in Amelia County.
Bracken preached the opening sermon at the first convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Virginia in 1785. He served as secretary of the second and third conventions and president of the 1789 convention and attended regularly during the 1790s as the clerical delegate from Bruton Parish. Two months after Bracken preached the funeral sermon for Bishop James Madison, he presided over a special Episcopal convention that on May 14, 1812, named him bishop-elect of Virginia to succeed Madison. Several younger delegates objected that Bracken lacked the youth and vigor to revive the languishing church. He declined to be consecrated and resigned on May 26, 1813.
Time Line
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May 2, 1747 - John Bracken is baptized in Winton, England.
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Summer 1769 - By this time John Bracken is in Virginia, probably tutoring the children of merchants.
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Summer 1772 - John Bracken returns to England to be ordained as a minister in the Church of England.
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June 12, 1773 - John Bracken is elected rector of Bruton Parish in Williamsburg. He serves until his death in 1818.
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November 1775 - John Bracken succeeds Thomas Gwatkin as master of the grammar school at the College of William and Mary.
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September 1776 - John Bracken and Sarah Burwell, of Carter's Grove, marry. They will have one son and two daughters.
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April 1, 1777 - John Bracken is appointed master of the grammar school and professor of humanity at the College of William and Mary.
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December 1779 - The grammar school is abolished during a reorganization of the College of William and Mary.
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1780 - John Bracken opens a grammar school in his house in Williamsburg.
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1785 - John Bracken preaches the opening sermon at the first convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Virginia.
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January 1787 - John Bracken takes charge of a grammar school conducted in the old Capitol in Williamsburg.
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1792 - The board of visitors of the College of William and Mary revive the grammar school.
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1793 - The College of William and Mary awards John Bracken a DD.
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March 9, 1812 - The board of visitors of the College of William and Mary elect John Bracken the school's ninth president.
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May 14, 1812 - A special Episcopal convention names John Bracken bishop-elect of Virginia to succeed Bishop James Madison. He declines to be consecrated.
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May 26, 1813 - John Bracken resigns as bishop of Virginia.
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June 1814 - John Bracken resigns as the president of the College of William and Mary at the board of visitors' request.
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July 15 or 16, 1818 - John Bracken dies in Williamsburg and is buried in the Burwell family cemetery at Carters' Grove in York County.
References
Further Reading
Cite This Entry
- APA Citation:
Gentry, D., & the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. John Bracken (bap. 1747–1818). (2019, May 16). In Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved from http://www.EncyclopediaVirginia.org/Bracken_John_bap_1747-1818.
- MLA Citation:
Gentry, Daphne and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. "John Bracken (bap. 1747–1818)." Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, 16 May. 2019. Web. READ_DATE.
First published: May 6, 2019 | Last modified: May 16, 2019