Alma Bridwell White
Alma Bridwell White | |
|---|---|
White circa 1900–1910 | |
| 1st General Superintendent of Pillar of Fire International | |
| In office 1918–1946 | |
| Succeeded by | Arthur Kent White |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mollie Alma Bridwell June 16, 1862 |
| Died | June 26, 1946 (aged 84) |
| Spouse |
Kent White
(m. 1887; died 1940) |
| Children | Ray Bridwell White Arthur Kent White |
| Parent(s) | Mary Ann Harrison (1832–1921) William Moncure Bridwell (1825–1907) |
| Relatives | Arlene White Lawrence, granddaughter Kathleen Merrell White, daughter-in-law |
| Known for | First woman to become a bishop in the United States. Feminist, noted supporter of the Ku Klux Klan. |
Alma Bridwell White (June 16, 1862 – June 26, 1946) was the founder and a bishop of the Pillar of Fire Church. In 1918, she became the first woman bishop of Pillar of Fire in the United States. She was a proponent of feminism. She also associated herself with the Ku Klux Klan and was involved in anti-Catholicism, antisemitism, anti-Pentecostalism, racism, and nativism. By the time of her death at age 84, she had expanded the sect to "4,000 followers, 61 churches, seven schools, ten periodicals and two broadcasting stations."