Hellmuth, Issac

Coadjutor Bishop of Huron; Second Bishop of Huron.

Issac Hellmuth was born in 1820 in Warsaw, Poland, and was educated privately, then at the University of Breslau. He converted to Christianity from Judiasm in the 1830s, and was ordained deacon, then priest, in 1846 in Quebec. He became the Rector of Sherbrooke, Quebec in 1846, as well as the Professor of Hebrew and Rabbinical Literature at Bishop's College, and was at some point made the Vice-Principal of the college. He stayed there until 1854, marrying Maria Evans in 1847, and obtaining an honourary D.D. from Lambeth in 1853, as well as a D.D. (ad eundem) from the University of Bishop's College in 1854. From 1854 to 1863, he was the General Superintendent for the Commonwealth and Continental Church Society in British North America. In the 1860s, he raised substantial funds amongst British Evangelicals for Bishop Cronyn's Huron College. From 1862 to 1867, he was the Principal of Huron College, and a Professor of Divinity. He was also Archdeacon of Huron from 1864 to 1867. He founded the London Collegiate Institute (Hellmuth College) for boys in 1865, and the Hellmuth Ladies' College in 1867. From 1867, he was Rector of St. Paul's Cathedral in London, as well as Dean of Huron, until 1871, when he was elected as Coadjutor Bishop of Huron (for which he was given the title Bishop of Norfolk). He succeeded to the See of Huron in September 1871, after the former Bishop, Benjamin Cronyn, died. He remained in this position until 1883.

In the 1870s, Hellmuth, along with other interested parties, promoted the founding of Western University, first by having the University take possession of Hellmuth College. Hellmuth worked hard to get the university up and running, by fundraising, donating his own money, asking for a Charter from the provincial government, and defending the bill to incorporate it. He became Chancellor and chairman of the senate, and is today considered the founder of the university. He left Western behind in 1883 when he resigned the See of Huron and moved back to England to be the Assistant Bishop (Suffragan) to the Bishop of Ripon. Unfortunately, his position there did not last long, when the Bishop passed away. Hellmuth's wife passed away soon after, and he became Rector of Bridlington, England from 1885 to 1891. He remarried in 1886, and became perpetual curate of Bessingby, England from 1888 to 1891. He was Chaplain of Holy Trinity, Pau, France from 1891 to 1897, then Rector of Compton Pauncefoot, England until 1899. He then retired and lived in Weston-Super-Mare, England until his death in 1901.