Robert Shaw Kerr (August 16, 1917 - November 18, 1988) was seventh bishop 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 1974 to 1986.

Biography

Kerr studied at

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

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 1940. Later he trained at 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 ...

. Upon graduation in 1943, he was ordained deacon on February 28, 1943 by Bishop

James De Wolf Perry James DeWolf Perry (October 3, 1871 – March 20, 1947) was an American Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal clergyman and prelate. He was the 7th Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island, Bishop of Rhode Island (1911–1946) and the 18th Presid ...

of Rhode Island in Trinity church,

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

. He was ordained priest on September 29 of the same year. Kerr served for some time as assistant at Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York City. He also served for some time as rector of St John's Church in

Barre, Vermont Barre, Vermont may refer to: *Barre (city), Vermont *Barre (town), Vermont Barre ( ) is a New England town, town in Washington County, Vermont, Washington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 7,923 at the 2020 census, making it the 3r ...

. In 1949 he became rector of Immanuel Church in

Bellows Falls, Vermont Bellows Falls is an incorporated village located in the town of Rockingham in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,747 at the 2020 census. Bellows Falls is home to the Green Mountain Railroad, a heritage railroad; the ...

. He also served as Dean of

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

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 ...

. In 1973, Kerr was elected Coadjutor Bishop of Vermont and was consecrated on March 16, 1974. After three months, on June 12, 1974, he succeeded as diocesan. He retired in 1986 and died in Burlington on November 18, 1988 because of a heart attack.

External links

New York Times obituary
* Trinity College (Connecticut) alumni General Theological Seminary alumni People from Newport, Rhode Island 1917 births 1988 deaths 20th-century American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of Vermont 20th-century American clergy {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub