John Medley was born at Chelsea, England. As the first Anglican bishop of Fredericton, Medley spent 47 years building up the church physically and spiritually. Educated at Wadham College, Oxford, and friend of Edmund Pusey, he was active in the English ecclesiological movement, which stressed the improvement of church music and architecture. A known Tractarian, his High Church sympathies were viewed with suspicion by his Loyalist congregation.
Consecrated bishop of Fredericton in 1845, he embarked on a series of annual parish visitations and dedicated himself to building a cathedral at Fredericton and developing a cathedral choir school. The cathedral, designed by architect Frank Wills with furnishing designed by William Butterfield, was consecrated in 1853. Bishop Medley was a good musician and composed himself. He authored Hymns for Public Worship in the Diocese of Fredericton.
Medley supported free pews, free-will offerings and the development of diocesan synods. With the resignation of Bishop Oxenden, at the synod of 1878 Bishop Medley was appointed the third Metropolitan of (Eastern) Canada
In 1881, as recommended by Bishop Medley, Rev. Tully Kingdom was appointed his adjuctor. The Most Rev. John Medley died at Fredericton 9 Sept 1892 at the age of 88.