American priest
Francis Bowes Sayre Jr.
(January 17, 1915 – October 3, 2008) was Dean of the
Washington National Cathedral
in
Washington, D.C.
, for 27 years. He was the eldest grandchild of
Woodrow Wilson
, the 28th
president of the United States
.
He was a vocal opponent of segregation, poverty,
McCarthyism
, and the
Vietnam War
. In March 1965. he joined
Martin Luther King Jr.
on the
voting-rights march
from
Selma
to
Montgomery, Alabama
. Sayre was unafraid to denounce
Senator
Joseph McCarthy
during the height of the latter's influence in the 1950s. In 1954, Sayre called McCarthy a "pretended patriot", adding "There is a devilish indecision about any society that will permit an impostor like McCarthy to caper out front while the main army stands idly by."
[1]
Early life and education
[
edit
]
Francis Bowes Sayre Jr. was born in the
White House
on January 17, 1915, the first-born grandchild of President
Woodrow Wilson
. Sayre's father,
Francis Bowes Sayre Sr.
, was a
Harvard University
law professor who later became an assistant secretary of state, and his paternal grandfather,
Robert H. Sayre
, was vice president and chief engineer of the
Lehigh Valley Railroad
. His mother was President Wilson's daughter,
Jessie Woodrow Wilson Sayre
.
He graduated from
Belmont Hill School
and
Williams College
and received his divinity degree from the
Union Theological Seminary
. He was a chaplain in the
United States Navy
during
World War II
and later had a parish in
Cleveland
.
Marriage
[
edit
]
In 1946, Sayre married Harriet Taft Hart (died 2003), daughter of Admiral
Thomas C. Hart
.
[2]
[3]
they had four children.
Death
[
edit
]
Sayre retired as Dean in 1978. He died three decades later, on October 3, 2008, aged 93, at his home on
Martha's Vineyard
from diabetes. His ashes were interred later that month at the National Cathedral, where he had held the position of Dean and where he has been memorialized. He was survived by two daughters, two sons, and eight grandchildren.
Awards and honors
[
edit
]
Sayre was awarded permanent, honorary membership at
The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America
in 1964. The organization sought to recognize his work in overseeing the purchase and construction of the 53-bell
carillon
at Washington National Cathedral.
[4]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Hevesi, Dennis (October 11, 2008).
"Francis Sayre Jr., National Cathedral Dean, Dies at 93"
.
The New York Times
. p. A33.
- ^
Leutze, James R. (1981).
A different kind of victory: a biography of Admiral Thomas C. Hart
. Vol. 63.
Naval Institute Press
. p. 74.
ISBN
0-87021-056-4
.
- ^
Wells, Julia (October 10, 2008).
"Born in the White House, Pastor to All, Very Rev. Francis B. Sayre Jr. Dies at 93"
.
Vineyard Gazette
.
- ^
Slater, James B. (2003).
"A Register of Honorary Members, 1936?1996"
(PDF)
.
The Bulletin
.
52
(1).
The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America
: 51.
OCLC
998832003
. Retrieved
2021-06-06
.
External links
[
edit
]
- "In remembrance, Francis B. Sayre Jr"
. Woodrow Wilson House. October 25, 2008. Archived from
the original
on February 26, 2009
. Retrieved
April 12,
2009
.
- Bernstein, Adam (October 14, 2008).
"Francis B. Sayre Jr., 93, dies"
.
Los Angeles Times
.
- "Obituary: Francis B. Sayre Jr"
.
The Martha's Vineyard Times
. October 9, 2008. Archived from
the original
on September 1, 2009
. Retrieved
April 12,
2009
.
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