Holly, James Theodore

(Oct. 3, 1829-Mar. 13, 1911). Missionary to Haiti and first Bishop of Haiti. He was born in Washington, D.C. Holly was raised a Roman Catholic but became an Episcopalian. He was ordained deacon on June 17, 1855, and priest on Jan. 3, 1856. He then went to Haiti to establish the Episcopal Church there. Upon his return to the United States he was the rector of St. Luke's Church, New Haven, Connecticut. In 1861 he returned to Haiti and worked there as a missionary. In 1874 the House of Bishops signed a covenant between the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States and the Protestant Episcopal Church in Haiti. Holly was consecrated the first Bishop of Haiti on Nov. 8, 1874. He served in that capacity until his death.