Robert Marshall Anderson (December 18, 1933 - May 3, 2011) was the Seventh

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

in the Episcopal Church.

Early life and education

Anderson was born on December 18, 1933, in

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

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, the son of Arthur Harold Anderson and Hazel Schneider. He studied at

Colgate University Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theologi ...

, from where he 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 1955. After graduation, he enrolled to serve in the U.S. Army's 24th Infantry Division during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

between 1955 and 1956. Upon his return to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, he enrolled in

Berkeley Divinity School Berkeley Divinity School, founded in 1854, is a seminary of The Episcopal Church in New Haven, Connecticut. Along with Andover Newton Theological School and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, Berkeley is one of the three "Partners on the Quad," ...

, from where he earned his Bachelor of Sacred Theology in 1961. He was awarded an honorary

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 ...

from

in 1977, and from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in 1978. He married Mary Artemis Evans on August 24, 1960, and together had four children.

Ordained ministry

Anderson was ordained deacon on June 13, 1961, and then priest on April 30, 1962, by Bishop

Walter H. Gray Walter Henry Gray (August 20, 1898 – December 4, 1973) was bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut from 1951 to 1969. He had served previously as suffragan from 1940 to 1945 and coadjutor from 1945 to 1951. Early life and education ...

of Connecticut. He served at St John's Church in

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...

, first as curate between 1961 and 1963, then as vicar between 1963 and 1967, and then as associate rector between 1968 and 1972. Between 1963 and 1967, he was also priest-in-charge of Christ Church in East Hampton, Connecticut, and then briefly as its rector between 1967 and 1968. In 1972, he was appointed as Dean of St Mark's Cathedral in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

, where he remained until 1978.

Episcopacy

In 1977, the diocesan general convention, elected Anderson as Coadjutor Bishop of Minnesota, and he was consecrated bishop on February 11, 1978. He then succeeded as diocesan bishop that same year. During his time in Minnesota, Anderson oversaw the construction of a diocesan House of Prayer in Collegeville, Minnesota, served as a representative to the Consultation on Church Union, and prioritized Native American ministries within the diocese. He was also a significant contributor to guidelines relating to clergy discipline and misconduct, and placed women, gay and lesbian clergy in church leadership positions. Anderson retired in 1993, and then served as Assistant Bishop of Los Angeles between 1995 and 2008. He died of

Pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...

on May 3, 2011, in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

References

External links

The Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota
Episcopal bishops of Minnesota 1933 births 2011 deaths 20th-century American Episcopalians American military personnel of the Korean War Colgate University alumni Berkeley Divinity School alumni {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub

Early life and education

Ordained ministry

Episcopacy

See also

References

External links