Meet the Deputies: Tom Tisdale

Thomas S. Tisdale, Jr.

Tom at the dedication of a painting of Bishop Guerry
in Grace Church, Charleston in December.

Tom Tisdale serves as Chancellor of The Episcopal Church in South Carolina. He previously served Chancellor of the Diocese of South Carolina during the episcopates of Bishop Temple and Bishop Allison. He has served as a deputy from South Carolina to General Convention on four occasions from 1972-1985 in Louisville, Denver, New Orleans, and Anaheim. Tom also served on the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church, and as Chair of the Committee on Program Budget and Finance. He is an attorney practicing law in Charleston, and is a member of Grace Episcopal Church in Charleston.

He’s also the author of the play Truth in Cold Blood, which premiered in Charleston last summer. The play brought renewed attention to the events surrounding the death of the Rt. Rev. William Alexander Guerry, Eighth Bishop of South Carolina. In 1928, Bishop Guerry was shot in his office by a priest who opposed the bishop’s efforts to advance racial equality. Episcopalians in South Carolina remember him on June 9, the anniversary of his death, as Bishop, Reformer and Martyr.

At General Convention this summer, Tom says he is looking forward to sharing information with the rest of the Church about the exciting work we have been doing in our completely reorganized diocese. Tom says we are a model for the wider Church about how to succeed and flourish in difficult circumstances. He also says he is looking forward to seeing old friends from around the country, including fellow Chancellors.