George Yemens Bliss (March 12, 1864 – July 10, 1924) was an American cleric who was the

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

Episcopal Diocese of Vermont The Episcopal Diocese of Vermont is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America in the state of Vermont. It was the first diocese in the Episcopal Church to elect a woman, Mary Adelia Rosamond McLeod, as diocesan bishop. ...

, serving from 1915 until his death in 1924.

Early life and education

Bliss was born on March 12, 1864, in

Shelburne, Vermont Shelburne is a New England town, town in Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Located along the shores of Lake Champlain, Shelburne's town center lies approximately south of the city center of Burlington, Vermont, ...

, the son of George Bliss and Mary Adelaide Stevens. He studied at the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

and graduated with a

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. The same university awarded him a

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

in 1904. He also graduated with a Bachelor of Sacred Theology from the

General Theological Seminary The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church (GTS) is an Episcopal seminary in New York City. Founded in 1817, GTS is the oldest seminary of the Episcopal Church and the longest continuously operating Seminary in the Anglican Communi ...

in 1892. He married on November 15, 1893, to Katherine Lucinda Shattuck, and together had three children.

Ordained ministry

Bliss was ordained deacon on June 12, 1892, by Bishop William Henry Augustus Bissell of Vermont in St Paul's Church. He was then ordained priest in 1893 by Bishop Henry A. Neely of Maine. After ordination to the diaconate, he became curate at St Paul's Church in

Burlington, Vermont Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...

and in 1899 became rector of the same church. He kept the post till 1915.

Bishop

On January 20, 1915, Bliss was elected Coadjutor Bishop of Vermont. He was consecrated on April 21, 1915, at St Paul's Church in

, by the Bishop of Vermont Arthur C. A. Hall. He died as a coadjutor on July 10, 1924.

References

*''American Church Almanac and Year Book'' 1920, p. 355.

External links

Portrait
1864 births 1924 deaths People from Shelburne, Vermont University of Vermont alumni General Theological Seminary alumni Episcopal bishops of Vermont {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub