William S. Thomas

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William S. Thomas Jr. (November 21, 1901 – April 19, 1986) was a suffragan bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, serving from 1953 to 1971. He was born in Pittsburgh, the son of William S. Thomas, Sr. and Lillian Amelia Evans. He studied at Washington & Jefferson College (1921–1922) and earned a BA from the University of Pittsburgh in 1924. He then attended the Episcopal Theological Seminary, graduating in 1925, and later received Doctor of Divinity degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and the Philadelphia Divinity School.

Thomas was ordained deacon in December 1926 and priest in July 1927 by Bishop Alexander Mann. He served as rector of All Saints’ Church in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, and as priest-in-charge at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Georgetown, Pennsylvania. In 1936 he became assistant priest at Calvary Church in Pittsburgh, and in 1940 he was made a canon of the cathedral chapter at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Boston. In 1942 he was named Archdeacon of Pittsburgh, a position he held until 1953. He was elected Suffragan Bishop of Pittsburgh on July 1, 1953, and was consecrated on September 29, 1953, by Bishop Austin Pardue. He served in this role until his retirement in 1971. He was married to Janet Alice Clutter and had two children, including Rev. John Thomas. He died in Pittsburgh in 1986 at age 86.