Walter Taylor Sumner (December 5, 1873 – September 4, 1935) was the fourth bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Oregon The Episcopal Diocese of Oregon is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, Episcopal Church which consists of the western portion of the State of Oregon bordered by the Pacific Ocean, the Columbia River, the Cascade Rang ...

from 1915 to 1935.

Early life

Sumner was born in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

on December 5, 1873, to parents Charles D. Sumner and Orintha A. Thompson. He was raised a

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

but was confirmed as an Episcopalian during college. He was educated at the public schools of Manchester, later received a bachelor's degree in science from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

in 1898, after which he worked for the

Western Electric Company The Western Electric Company was an American electrical engineering and manufacturing company officially founded in 1869. A wholly owned subsidiary of American Telephone & Telegraph for most of its lifespan, it served as the primary equipment ma ...

. He studied for the priesthood at

Western Theological Seminary Western Theological Seminary (WTS) is a private seminary located in Holland, Michigan. Established in 1866, it is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America, a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States. ...

, and graduated in 1904. He was also awarded a Doctor of Divinity from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

Career

Sumner was ordained to the diaconate on November 7, 1903, and to the priesthood on May 29, 1904 by Coadjutor Bishop

Charles P. Anderson Charles Palmerston Anderson (September 8, 1865 – January 30, 1930) was the seventeenth Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. Early life and education He was born in Kemptville, Ontario in Canada on September 8, 1865, the son of Henry Ander ...

of Chicago. Sumner was in charge of St. George Mission, Grand Crossing,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. By 1906 he became Dean of the Cathedral of St Peter and Paul in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. Sumner was elected Fourth Bishop of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, on September 16, 1914, serving until his death in 1935. He was consecrated on January 6, 1915.

Death

Sumner died on September 4, 1935, in the Good Samaritan Hospital in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. He was buried in Manchester, New Hampshire.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sumner, Walter T. 1873 births 1935 deaths Episcopal Church in Oregon Episcopal bishops of Oregon Converts to Anglicanism from Baptist denominations Western Theological Seminary alumni Dartmouth College alumni