Edward Lambe Parsons (May 18, 1868 – July 19, 1960) was the third bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of California The Episcopal Diocese of California is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America (ECUSA) in Northern California. The founding Episcopal diocese in the state, once encompassing all of Californi ...

Early Life and Education

Born on May 18, 1868 in

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to Arthur Wellesley parsons and Helen Clement White, Parsons was raised as a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

. He was educated at

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

from where he completed his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in 1889 with the intention of becoming a lawyer. However, he attended the Union Theological Seminary to undertake theological studies from where he graduated in 1892. Despite his studies he was application to become a Presbyterian minister was rejected. This led to his consultations with Bishop William Lawrence which eventually led him to join the Episcopal Church and study at the Episcopal Theological School, from where he graduated in 1894.

Ordained Ministry

He was ordained to the diaconate on December 23, 1894 by Bishop William Lawrence of Massachusetts, and to the priesthood on June 9, 1895 by Bishop

Henry C. Potter Henry Codman Potter (May 25, 1834 – July 21, 1908) was a bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States. He was the seventh bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. Potter was "more praised and appreciated, perhaps, than any public man ...

of New York. He was initially assistant at

Grace Church Grace Church may refer to: Canada * Grace Church on-the-Hill, Toronto China * Grace Church, Guanghan Poland * Grace Church, Teschen or Jesus Church, a Lutheran basilica in Teschen, Poland United Kingdom United States * Grace Cathedral (disam ...

from 1894 to 1895. In 1896 he moved to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

to serve as rector of Trinity Church in

Menlo Park, California Menlo Park is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County within the San Francisco Bay Area of California in the United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, and Stanford to the south; ...

. Between 1900 and 1904 he was rector of St Matthew's Church in

San Mateo, California San Mateo ( ; ) is a city in San Mateo County, California, on the San Francisco Peninsula. About 20 miles (32 km) south of San Francisco, the city borders Burlingame to the north, Hillsborough to the west, San Francisco Bay and Foster C ...

, while in 1904 he became rector of St Mark's Church in

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...

, where he remained until 1919.

Episcopacy

Parsons was elected on the third ballot to be

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...

of the Diocese of California and was consecrated on November 5, 1919 by Bishop

William Ford Nichols William Ford Nichols (June 9, 1849 – June 5, 1924) was the second Bishop of California in The Episcopal Church. Biography William Ford Nichols was born in Lloyd, New York on June 9, 1849. He graduated from Berkeley Divinity School Berkeley ...

of California. He then succeeded as diocesan bishop on June 5, 1924 and remained in office until his retirement on December 31, 1940. After retiring from his position with the church, he joined the Northern California

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board of directors, serving as chairman from 1941 to 1956 and remaining on the board for the rest of his life. He was a member of the

University Club of San Francisco The University Club of San Francisco is a private social club located atop Nob Hill in San Francisco, California. Notable members have included President Herbert Hoover and conservationist John Muir. History The University Club of San Francisco ...

. He was an author of several books including The American Prayer Book: Its Origins and Principles (1937). He married Bertha de Forest Brush on May 18, 1897, and had four children.Lewis Francis Byington, ''History of San Francisco'' (Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1931) Vol. 2, pp. 106-110. He died in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

in 1960, at age 92.

References

1868 births 1960 deaths Yale College alumni People from the San Francisco Bay Area Episcopal bishops of California Converts to Anglicanism from Presbyterianism {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub