The Reverend Canon Thomas Wilson Stearly Logan, Sr. was born in Philadelphia on March 19, 1912. The son of a minister and a teacher, Father Logan was one of eight siblings to graduate from college. Education and achievement were very important and stressed in the Logan family. In 1938 he married Hermione Hill and the couple had one son, the Rev. Thomas W.S. Logan Jr.
Throughout his life he has been surrounded by accomplished men and women. His first cousins were the celebrated Delaney sisters, and his father-in-law, Dr. Leslie Pinckney Hill, was an author and the first president of Cheyney University. Within this family context, Father Logan was encouraged and inspired to make his own significant contributions to society. After graduating Central High School for boys, he attended Johnson C. Smith University and later graduated from Lincoln University in 1935 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Three years later, he earned a Bachelor of Sacred Theology from General Theological Seminary (GTS) in New York City, and in 1941 received a Master of Sacred Theology from Philadelphia Divinity School (now Episcopal School).
Father Logan has also received five honorary doctorates, including Lincoln University, Hampton University and St. Augustine’s College. In 1938, Father Logan married the love of his life, Hermione Hill Logan at St. Simon of Cyrenian Church in South Philadelphia. The ceremony was officiated by his father, the Reverend John R. Logan Sr. and his brother, the Reverend John R. Logan Jr. From this cherished union was born one son, the Reverend Father Thomas W.S. Logan, Jr. who passed in 2011. There are many special blessings from these 74 years, especially their five grandchildren. Father Logan has selflessly devoted over 73 years of his life to the Episcopal Church.
He has spent this dedicated ministry serving on commissions and community groups as well as in parochial leadership. He was ordained as a deacon in June 1938 in the Diocese of Pennsylvania at Holy Apostles Church. The following year he advanced to the priesthood at St. Peter’s Church in Philadelphia. He served as Curate at St. Phillips Church in New York City (1938-1939); and Vicar and Rector at St. Michael’s and All Angels Church in Philadelphia (*1940-1945). At St. Michael’s, he worked successfully to eliminate the church’s debt in his first twelve months there. As its first Rector, Father Logan helped quadruple the church’s membership in less than five years.
In 1945, Father Logan helped merge Calvary Monumental Church with St. Michael’s Church, creating one of Philadelphia’s first interracial congregations. He was elevated to Rector at Calvary Church Northern Liberties in Philadelphia where he served until his retirement 1984 when he was bestowed the title of Rector Emeritus at Calvary Church. Father Logan has also served as interim priest for five Philadelphia parishes, associate priest at the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, and chaplain of the Philadelphia Presbyterian and Misericordia Hospitals and the Philadelphia Police Department.
In 2012, he was the oldest serving African American priest in the Episcopal Church, USA. Father Logan has also served the Church in a number of other leadership roles, including delegate to the Anglican Conference in Cape Town, South Africa; member of the Restitution Fund Commission; past president of the Homeless Fund; member of Diocesan Council; a founder of the National Conference of Black Episcopalians; past president of the National Church Workers Conference USA; a founder of the National Conference of Black Episcopalians; member of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, and life member of the Union of Black Episcopalians.
Additionally, Father Logan was a visionary leader in various fraternal and civic organizations locally and nationally. He was a past Most Worshipful Grandmaster of the Prince Hall Masonry of Pennsylvania; Imperial Chaplain of the Shrine of North America; former president of Hampton University Ministers’ Conference; Exalted Ruler of the Improved Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks of the World; Frontiers International; and the Restitution Fund Commission. He was a member of Sigma Pi Phi (Boule) and is also celebrated as the longest serving and oldest living member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., becoming a member in 1933.
His extraordinary contributions to the City of Philadelphia and the region went far beyond that of a parish rector. He was a past president of the Tribune and Rafters’ Charities, and was one of the founders of the African-American Museum. Committed to equity and opportunity and active in the local and national work for social and economic justice, Father Logan was a life member of the NAACP and former board member of branches in Philadelphia and Darby, Pennsylvania. In the early 1960’s, he was active with the National Baptist Convention and collaborated with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in organizational and fundraising efforts in Philadelphia to support Civil Rights strategies. Father Logan’s service to humanity and his spiritual and community leadership has been recognized by receipt of numerous awards and citations from church, education, fraternal, and community organizations nationwide.
The Rev. Canon Thomas Logan, Sr. passed away on May 2, 2012. The Rev. Canon Thomas Wilson Stearly Logan, Sr., 100, associate priest of the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, Philadelphia, passed away on May 2, 2012. He was survived by his wife Hermione Hill. The couple had one son, the Rev. Thomas W.S. Logan Jr., who died in 2011. Other survivors include a brother, a sister, five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Source: Archives of the Episcopal Church; https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2012/05/11/thomas-logan-eldest-serving-african-american-priest-dies-at-100/