John E. Hines
Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church; Bishop of Texas; American Episcopal bishop (1910–1997)
John Elbridge Hines (October 3, 1910 – July 19, 1997) was a bishop in the Episcopal Church in the United States. When he was elected the 22nd Presiding Bishop in 1965, at the age of 54, he was the youngest person to hold that office, which he held until 1974. Desmond Tutu, Archbishop of Cape Town, said Hines' movement to divest church-held assets in that nation played an important role in the demise of apartheid.
Early life
Hines was born in Seneca, South Carolina. He graduated from the University of the South in 1930 and Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria in 1933.
Ministry
His ministry began at parishes in Hannibal, Missouri in the Great Depression, where he became acquainted with the Social Gospel movement through bishop William Scarlett of Missouri. At age 26, Hines became rector of Saint Paul's Church, Augusta, Georgia, and began attacking racism in Georgia, continuing his lifelong defense of those who lacked political, social, economic and educational opportunities. Hines then accepted a call to become rector of Christ Church in Houston, Texas from 1941 to 1945, which was later raised to the status of cathedral.
Hines was consecrated as bishop coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas on October 18, 1945, and in 1955 became diocesan bishop. While his social activism was criticized in some quarters, the number of churches grew under his stewardship.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “John E. Hines” is presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church; Bishop of Texas; American Episcopal bishop (1910–1997). The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through John, Hines and Presiding, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church; Bishop of Texas; American Episcopal bishop (1910–1997)” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 8, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1699958. VIAF identifies the subject as 112996157. The Library of Congress control number is n88605439. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1910, 1997, 1965 and 1974.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
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Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “John E. Hines”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow John E. Hines primary sources, John E. Hines archive and John research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “John E. Hines” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.