W. H. Carter 1872-1877
On the 28th of March 1872 The Reverend Dr. W. H.
Carter accepted the call to the rectorship of the parish. He had been rector of Christ Church, Bloomfield,
New Jersey. One controversy that arose
during Dr. Carter’s rectorate was that he refused to administer Holy Communion
to a Presbyterian man, whose family was Episcopalian and attended Saint John’s. Dr. Carter believed this was necessary
because the gentleman had not been confirmed by a bishop. Col. Benjamin B. Aycrigg, one of the founders
of the parish and a vestryman at the time, sharply criticized the rector. Dr. Carter conceded that since this man had
been enrolled in the parish and a communicant before he assumed the post of
rector, he would allow the practice to continue although he considered it in
violation of the canons.
Dr. Carter resigned as rector of Saint John’s effective the first of May 1877 due to his belief that the parish was not able to carry the financial burden under which it was struggling. He had voluntarily relinquished one-sixth of his salary in the hope that the financial distress of the country would be only temporary. That distress increased.
In his letter of resignation he wrote: “The Parish is practically out of debt, the congregations are steadily improving, the Sunday School has increased fifty percent within the past year, peace and harmony prevail, and I humbly believe that the spiritual interests of the parish are advancing, therefore there can be no more favorable time for returning to you the trust which five years ago was committed to me.”
Dr. Carter went to Florida after leaving Saint John’s Church.