William Hobart Hare

Who was William Hobart Hare?

William Hobart Hare was an American bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church, son of George Emlen Hare. He was born at Princeton, N. J., and was educated at the University of Pennsylvania. He preached in Philadelphia until 1870, was for three years the general agent of the foreign committee of the board of missions, and in 1872 was elected Missionary Bishop of Niobrara. In 1883 his diocese was extended to include the State of South Dakota. He wrote several pamphlets on missionary work in the West.

He was one of the leading missionaries in America and was called "the Apostle of the West" for his dedicated work in the rural Dakotas among pioneers and Native Americans.

Hare is honored with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church on May 17.