POTTER, Henry Codman, American Protestant Episcopal bishop: b. Schenectady, N. Y., 25 May 1835; d. 21 July 1908. He was the son of Bishop Alonzo Potter (q.v.), and was educated at the Episcopal Academy, Phila delphia, Union College and at the Theological Seminary of Virginia. In 1857 he was or dained deacon and in 1858 priest. He was rector at Christ Church, Greensburg, Pa. (1857 58) ; and at Saint John's Church of Troy, N. Y. (1859-66); then became assistant at Trinity Church, Boston, and in 1868 rector of Grace Church, New York City. In 1883 he was con secrated assistant bishop of New York, and on the death of his uncle, Horatio Potter, in 1887 became bishop. Under his energetic and suc cessful administration, the site for Saint John's Cathedral on Morningside Heights was pur chased and funds raised for building. In his decisions on theological questions and contro versies he proved himself sagacious and toler ant. He took a deep interest in political life of the city and nation, and wrote and spoke force fully and freely on a wide variety of educa tional and political subjects. He lent his influ ence to promoting friendly relations between labor and capital, and to assisting the reform movement in New York City. His views were
extremely liberal. He held that the beer saloon as a poor man's club was a necessity in a great city like New York, and that the church should try to elevate it, and not work—ineffectively — to smother it. In 1904 he established a tavern which was designed to be run as an ethical saloon. It was not well patronized and the newspapers ridiculed it, so it had to be aban doned. He had a great big heart, and did able work among the poor. He published 'Our Threefold Victory' ; 'Young Men's Christian Associations and Their Work", 'Tile Church and Her Children' ; 'Sisterhoods and Deacon esses' (1873) • 'The Religion for To-day' (1877) ; 'The Gates of the East' (1877) ; 'The Scholar and the State' (1897) ; 'The East of To-day and To-morrow' (1902) ; 'Law and Loyalty' (1903) ; 'The Drink Problem> (1905). Consult Keyser, H. A., 'Bishop Potter, the People's .Friend) (1910) ; Hodges, George, 'Henry Codman Potter' (1915).