Isaac O Stringer (April 19, 1866 – October 30, 1934) was a Canadian Anglican bishop.
Biography
Stringer was born in
Kingarf,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
. He attended
University College
In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies f ...
and
Wycliffe College
Wycliffe College () is an evangelical Colleges of the University of Toronto, graduate school of theology of the University of Toronto located at the University of Toronto#St. George campus, St. George campus in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded i ...
at the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
and received a BA degree in 1891. While at University College he served as Recording Secretary of the University College Literary and Scientific Society.
In 1892 he accepted a posting as a missionary to the Canadian Arctic and spent the majority of his life in northern Canada. In 1905 he was consecrated the second
Bishop of Selkirk in the Yukon, a position he held until 1931 when he was named
metropolitan of Rupert's Land and relocated to
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...
where he died on October 30, 1934. He was installed as diocesan bishop of Rupert's Land and as metropolitan of the province at the
Cathedral of St. John (Winnipeg) on September 1, 1931.
Stringer was known during his life as "The Bishop Who Ate His Boots" as a result of an incident during a tour of his diocese in 1909. Running low on provisions, he found that the
seal skin of his boots was sufficient as emergency sustenance. This epithet became the title of a biography of the bishop by Frank A. Peake.
Isaac's grandson, Richard Stringer worked on and mostly completed a documentary film about Isaac before he died, and his colleagues at the
CSC finished and released the movie
One of Isaac's great-grandsons is Todd Mayhew. Todd and his wife, Sivan Agam, are the Australian/ British alternative folk duo
The April Maze; they have written a song about Stringer's boot-eating story called "The Bishop Who Ate His Boots".
Canadian band
Tanglefoot's song "Boot Soup" is based on the same incident.
References
External links
Canadian Virtual Museum webpage on Stringer*
The Bishop Who Ate His Boots , Sheba Films - a documentary on Isaac Stringer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stringer, Isaac O.
Anglican bishops of Yukon
1866 births
1934 deaths
People from Bruce County
University of Toronto alumni
Anglican bishops of Rupert's Land
Metropolitans of Rupert's Land
20th-century Anglican Church of Canada bishops