Thomas Strong (bishop)

{{Short description|Bishop of Oxford (1861–1944)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox Christian leader

| type = bishop

| honorific-prefix = {{pre-nominal styles|size=100%|RRevd}}

| name = Thomas Strong

| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|GBE}}

| title = Bishop of Oxford

| image = Bp Thomas Banks Strong.jpg

| caption = Portrait of Strong by William Orpen, c. 1923

| church = Church of England

| province = Canterbury

| diocese = Oxford

| elected = 1925

| term = 1925–1937

| predecessor = Hubert Burge

| successor = Kenneth Kirk

| other_post = {{plainlist|

• Vice-Chancellor of the
  University of Oxford {{nowrap|(1913–1917)}}
• Dean of Christ Church {{nowrap|(1901–1920)}}
• Bishop of Ripon {{nowrap|(1920–1925)}}

}}

| ordination = 1885 (deacon)
1886 (priest)

| consecration =

| consecrated_by =

| birth_name = Thomas Banks Strong

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1861|10|24|df=yes}}

| birth_place =

| death_date = {{death date and age|1944|7|8|1861|10|24|df=y}}

| death_place =

| buried = Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford

| nationality = British

| religion = Anglican

| residence =

| occupation = Priest, theologian

| profession =

| education = Westminster School

| alma_mater = Christ Church, Oxford

}}

Thomas Banks Strong (24 October 1861 – 8 July 1944) was an English Anglican bishop and theologian. He served as Bishop of Ripon and Oxford.Ellie Clewlow, [http://www.oxforddnb.com/index/101036356/ Strong, Thomas Banks (1861–1944)], Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, September 2004. {{doi|10.1093/ref:odnb/36356}} He was also Dean of Christ Church, Oxford and served as vice-chancellor of Oxford University during the First World War.{{cite web|url=http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/vc/position/previousvice-chancellors/|title=Previous Vice-Chancellors | publisher=University of Oxford, UK|access-date=July 13, 2011}}

Thomas Strong was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford, where he received a second-class degree in Literae Humaniores in 1883.{{cite book| chapter=Strong, Thomas Banks | publisher=Oxford University Press |title=The Concise Dictionary of National Biography | year=1995 |volume=III: N–Z| pages=1887–1888| title-link=The Concise Dictionary of National Biography }} He became a deacon in 1885 and a priest in 1886. At Christ Church, Strong was successively Lecturer (1884), Student (1888), Censor (1892), and then Dean (1901–1920).{{London Gazette |issue=27329 |date=2 July 1901 |page=4399}} He received the degree Doctor of Divinity (DD) from the University of Oxford in January 1902.{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=University intelligence – Oxford |date=3 February 1902 |page=7 |issue=36681}}

In 1920 he was appointed Bishop of Ripon, and in 1925 was translated as Bishop of Oxford, serving as such, and as Clerk of the Closet and Chancellor of the Order of the Garter until 1937.

Strong produced a number of theological publications.[https://archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Strong%2C%20Thomas%20B.%20(Thomas%20Banks)%2C%201861-1944%22 Strong, Thomas B.], Internet Archive.[http://www.alibris.co.uk/search/books/author/Strong,%20Thomas%20Banks Books by Thomas Banks Strong], Alibris.[https://openlibrary.org/a/OL4396303A Thomas Banks Strong], Open Library.

He became a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in 1918.

He was buried at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, where there is a memorial stone with a Latin inscription.