Elected 1786, June, Day 1

The Rev. David Griffith, rector of Fairfax parish in Virginia (and also a surgeon), was the sole clerical member sent to represent Virginia in 1785 and 1786. He was a supporter of the American cause and was said to have been close to Gen. George Washington both as a pastor and as a friend. Griffith was elected to be Virginia’s first bishop in 1786, but could not raise enough money to make the journey to England to be consecrated along with William White and Samuel Provoost. He withdrew from the honor of being bishop-elect in 1789 and died that same year, aged only 47.