William Scarlett (bishop)

The Right Reverend William Scarlett D.D., LL.D.
Bishop of Missouri
Church	Episcopal Church
Diocese	Missouri
Elected	January 28, 1930
In office	1933–1952
Predecessor	Frederick Foote Johnson
Successor	Arthur C. Lichtenberger
Previous post(s)	Coadjutor Bishop of Missouri (1930-1933)
Orders
Ordination	May 16, 1910 by Edwin Stevens Lines
Consecration	May 6, 1930 by Boyd Vincent
Personal details
Born	(1883-10-03)October 3, 1883 Columbus, Ohio, United States
Died	March 28, 1973(1973-03-28) (aged 89) Castine, Maine, United States
Buried	Castine Cemetery, Castine, Maine
Nationality	American
Denomination	Anglican
Parents	William Scarlett & Myra Siebert
Spouse	Leah Oliver Van Riper ​ ​ (m. 1941)​
Alma mater	Harvard University

William J. Scarlett (October 3, 1883 – March 28, 1973) was Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, serving from 1930 to 1952.

Early life and education

Scarlett was born in Columbus, Ohio on October 3, 1883, the son of William Scarlett and Myra Siebert. He graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1905, and was honored with a Doctor of Divinity in 1950. He attended the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, receiving a Bachelor of Divinity in 1909, and a Doctor of Divinity in 1967. He was also awarded a Doctor of Law from the University of Arizona in 1922.^[1]

Ordained ministry

Scarlett was ordained deacon in June 1909 by Bishop William Lawrence of Massachusetts. He was later ordained as a priest on May 16, 1910 by Bishop Edwin Stevens Lines of Newark.^[2] Initially he served as assistant at St George's Church in New York City between 1909 and 1911, before becoming Dean of Trinity Cathedral in Phoenix, Arizona in 1911.^[3] In 1922, he became Dean of Christ Church Cathedral in St. Louis, where he remained till 1930.^[4]

Bishop

During the ninety-first annual diocesan convention of January 28, 1930, Scarlett was elected Coadjutor Bishop of Missouri on the first ballot.^[5] He was consecrated on May 6, 1930 by Bishop Boyd Vincent of Southern Ohio, in Christ Church Cathedral. He succeeded as diocesan in 1933. Scarlett was well known for his focus on social issues and social justice, particularly during the Great Depression and World War II.^[6] He was also a champion of ecumenism, and was one of the founders of the St. Louis Chapter of the Conference of Christians and Jews. He also advocated for the equal rights and condemned racism.^[7] He retired in 1952, and later moved to Castine, Maine where he died on March 28, 1973.^[8]

References

1. "SCARLETT, WILLIAM". Religious Leaders of America. 1: 997. March 1936.
2. "The Episcopate of William Scarlett". Bulletin of the Missouri Historical Society: 193. March 1964.
3. "SCARLETT, WILLIAM". Who Was Who in America. 5: 637. March 1943.
4. "William J. Scarlett". The New York Times Biographical Service. 4: 500. March 1973.
5. "Missouri, Diocese of". The Living Church Annual: 74. 1931.
6. "The Right Reverend William Scarlett, 1883-1973", Episcopal Achieves. Retrieved on 21 October 2020.
7. "History of the diocese and bishops", Diocese of Missouri. Retrieved on 21 October 2020.
8. "Bishop Scarlett of Missouri Dies". New York Times. March 29, 1973. The Right Rev. William J. Scarlett, Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Diocese of Missouri from 1930 to 1952 and a social and theological liberal