William H. Miles

Photograph of Bishop William Henry Miles (1828-1892), a founder of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

William Henry Miles (1828–1892) was a founder and the first senior bishop of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church in America, a Methodist denomination formed in 1870 to serve African-American Methodists in the American South. Miles College in Birmingham, Alabama is named in his honor.

Life

Miles was born in Springfield, Kentucky. He was a slave of Mrs. Mary Miles; when she died in 1854, she willed William his freedom (although he was not freed until 1864).

Images

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  Bishop William H. Miles.
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  Painting of Miles on display at the World Methodist Museum, Lake Junaluska, NC