Samuel Provoost (March 11, 1742 – September 6, 1815) was an American academic and Anglican minister. He was one of the two first Chaplains of the United States Senate, along with William Linn, and the first bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, as well as the third presiding bishop consecrated for the Episcopal Church of the United States. He was consecrated as bishop of New York in 1787 along with William White, bishop of Pennsylvania. He was the first Episcopal bishop of Dutch and Huguenot ancestry.
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Early life
Samuel Provoost was born in New York City, Province of New York on 26 February 1742, to a family of Dutch and Huguenot ancestry. His parents were John Provoost and Eva Rutgers. He was baptized on 28 February 1742. Provoost was a direct descendant of David Provoost from New Amsterdam, New Netherland. His paternal grandmother was Mary (née Spratt) Alexander (1693–1760).
Provoost was educated at King's College (now known as Columbia University), graduating in 1758, and promoted to Master of Arts in 1761. That same year, he sailed to Europe. He eventually continued his studies at Peterhouse, Cambridge, in Great Britain, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1766. Samuel was fluent in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, and while he was at Cambridge he learned French and Italian, gaining distinction as a linguist. During this time, he also matriculated at the University of Leiden, Dutch Republic, on 28 July 1764.