The Rt. Rev. Arthur Cleveland Coxe was quite different from his predecessor. He possessed a distinctly anti-Roman bias and disagreed mightily with the Ritualists. He did, however, support some of their principles, notably the See Principle and the Cathedral Idea. This became immediately evident at Diocesan Convention in August of 1865.

Coxe’s first request was to move to Buffalo, echoing his belief in the See Principle. Of the booming young city he said “every city so large and so well situated should an Episcopal See.” Next, Coxe proposed a division of the Diocese. (Just three years later, in 1868, the Diocese of Central New York was established with Syracuse as its See city.)

In April 1866, shortly after settling in Buffalo, Coxe accepted an offer from St. Paul’s, Buffalo for the church to become the Cathedral Church of the Diocese. It was also during Coxe’s term that St. Philip’s, Buffalo was founded to “serve the needs of the city’s Negro population.”

In 1877 Coxe was informed that a recently ordained priest, the new curate at St. Andrew’s, Buffalo, had placed candles on the altar there. The Bishop immediately directed the Rev. Charles Henry Brent to discontinue this “Romish” practice. The young priest was indignant. He resigned his position and left the Diocese.

Coxe was a prolific writer, he had been called upon many times to lend his hand to important Church works. The most notable is the American edition of The Ante-Nicene Fathers which he edited in 1885.

At the 1889 Convention, Coxe made it clear that he was no longer vigorous enough to handle the job of bishop alone, but finances prevented the election of an assistant bishop. Eventually, he was authorized to secure the aid of other bishops, and in 1893 Coxe prevailed upon his friend, Bishop William D. Walker of North Dakota to assist him during the final years of his term. Bishop Coxe died on July 20, 1896.