William K. Crittenden (June 28, 1908 - September 8, 2003) was the fifth Bishop of Erie in

The Episcopal Church The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine Ecclesiastical provinces and dioces ...

between 1952 and 1973.

Early life and education

Crittenden was born in

New Boston, Pennsylvania New Boston is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was first listed as a CDP prior to the 2020 census. Before that, it was part of the New Boston-Morea CDP. New Bost ...

, on June 28, 1908, the son of Ernest H. Crittenden and Susan Beatrice Cook. He was educated at the high school of

Hazleton, Pennsylvania Hazleton is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 29,963 at the 2020 census. Hazleton is the second largest city in Luzerne County. It was incorporated as a borough on January 5, 1857, and as a city on Decembe ...

. He then studied at

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 1832. The founders voted to name the college after General Laf ...

Easton, Pennsylvania Easton is a city in, and the county seat of, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River, a river tha ...

, from where he graduated with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in 1929. He then worked for the Bell Telephone Company from 1929 to 1933. In 1931 he married Eleanor Elizabeth Setchel and together had two children. In 1936 he graduated with a

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD or BDiv; la, Baccalaureus Divinitatis) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology ...

from Episcopal Theological Seminary. He was awarded 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 ...

from

and a

Doctor of Law A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL ...

from

Gannon University Gannon University is a private Catholic university in Erie, Pennsylvania. Gannon University has approximately 4,500 students and 46,000 alumni. Its intercollegiate athletics include 18 athletic programs for men and women competing at the NCAA Di ...

in 1963, the latter being a recognition by the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

for his ecumenical work.

Ordained ministry

He was ordained deacon in 1934 and priest a on May 31, 1935, by Bishop

Henry Knox Sherrill Henry Knox Sherrill (November 6, 1890 – May 11, 1980) was an Episcopal bishop. He was the 20th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church from 1947 to 1958, having previously served as Bishop of Massachusetts (1930-1947). Biography Henry Kno ...

. Between 1934 and 1935, he served as curate of St Paul's Church in

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton, A ...

, after which he became as vicar of Grace Church in

Dalton, Massachusetts Dalton is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Dalton is a transition town between the urban and rural portions of Berkshire County. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 6,330 at th ...

, and St Luke's Church in

Lanesborough, Massachusetts Lanesborough is a New England town, town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was ...

. In 1939 he became rector of St John's Church in

North Adams, Massachusetts North Adams is a city in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its population was 12,961 as of the 2020 census. Best known as the ...

, while in 1942 he became chaplain, assistant professor of religion, and assistant to the president at

. Between 1945 and 1949 he was the executive secretary of the Division for Youth of the Episcopal Church. On December 20, 1949, he became Archdeacon of Southern Ohio, a post he retained till 1952.

Episcopacy

Crittenden was elected Bishop of Erie on the third ballot on April 26, 1952, during a special convention. He was consecrated in

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 ...

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

, on June 26, 1952, by Presiding Bishop

. He was well known for his ecumenical work throughout his episcopacy. He retired on December 31, 1973, and moved to Mexico in 1974 to teach ethics at the

University of Guadalajara The University of Guadalajara ( es, Universidad de Guadalajara) is a public higher education institution in the Mexican city of Guadalajara. The university has several high schools as well as graduate and undergraduate campuses, which are distr ...

. He died on September 8, 2003, in

Stokesdale, North Carolina Stokesdale is a town in the northwestern corner of Guilford County, and the southwestern section of Rockingham County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,267 at the 2000 census. As of the 2010 census, the population had risen to 5, ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crittenden, William A. 1908 births 2003 deaths 20th-century American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of Northwestern Pennsylvania 20th-century American clergy