Richardson, James Milton

James Milton Richardson was born in Sylvester, Georgia, on January 8, 1913. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 1934 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Divinity (1936) and Master of Arts (1942) from Emory University’s Candler School of Theology. After his ordination to the priesthood in 1939, Richardson served at multiple parishes in Atlanta before becoming Dean of Christ Church Cathedral in Houston, Texas, in 1952. After John Hines, the sitting diocesan, was elected Presiding Bishop in 1965, Richardson was chosen as the fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Texas, serving from 1965 until his death on March 24, 1980.

During his career, Richardson held numerous leadership roles, serving as a trustee for several religious and educational organizations, including Baylor College of Medicine, the Church Pension Fund, and the Episcopal Radio-TV Foundation. As Bishop of Texas, he chaired the boards of institutions such as St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital and the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest. He also took part in an episcopal visit to Texas' sister diocese of Malawi in 1969 and assisted in hosting the 1970 General Convention in Houston.