W. Blair Roberts

The Right Reverend

W. Blair Roberts
Bishop of South Dakota
ChurchEpiscopal Church
DioceseSouth Dakota
ElectedSeptember 29, 1931
In office1931–1954
PredecessorHugh L. Burleson
SuccessorConrad H. Gesner
Orders
OrdinationJune 20, 1909
by Frederick Foote Johnson
ConsecrationDecember 6, 1922
by Daniel S. Tuttle
Personal details
Born(1881-12-10)December 10, 1881
Detroit, Michigan, United States
DiedApril 25, 1964(1964-04-25) (aged 82)
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States
BuriedWoodlawn Cemetery, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
NationalityAmerican
DenominationAnglican
ParentsWilliam Jackson Roberts, Jane Eliza Fisher
Spouse
Meta Kemble Jackson
​
(m. 1910)​

William Blair Roberts (December 10, 1881 - April 25, 1964) was a bishop in The Episcopal Church, serving in South Dakota.

Early life and education

Roberts was born on December 10, 1881, in Detroit, Michigan, the son of William Jackson Roberts and Jane Eliza Fisher. He was educated at the public school of Hartford, Connecticut, and then studied at Trinity College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1905, and being awarded a Doctor of Divinity in 1923.[1] He also enrolled at Berkeley Divinity School, from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity in 1908, and a Doctor of Divinity in 1923.[2]

Ordained ministry

Roberts was ordained deacon on June 3, 1908, by Bishop Chauncey B. Brewster of Connecticut, and priest on June 20, 1909, by Bishop Frederick Foote Johnson.[3] He served as a missionary in Rosebud, South Dakota between 1908 and 1922. He also served as a chaplain in the American Expeditionary Forces between August 1918 and June 1919. In 1917, he also became Dean of Rosebud.[4]

Bishop

On December 6, 1922, he was consecrated suffragan bishop of South Dakota, in Calvary Cathedral, Sioux Falls.[5] On September 29, 1931, he was elected Bishop of South Dakota, remained so until his retirement on January 1, 1954.[6]

References

  1. ^ "ROBERTS, Rt. Rev. William Blair". Who's Who in the General Convention of the Episcopal Church: 74. 1934.
  2. ^ "ROBERTS, William Blair". Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches: 373. 1933.
  3. ^ "ROBERTS, Rt. Rev. William Blair". Stowe's Clerical Directory of the American Episcopal Church: 242. 1941.
  4. ^ "ROBERTS, WILLIAM BLAIR". Religious Leaders of America. 1: 970. 1936.
  5. ^ "Dean Roberts Made Suffragan Bishop: Consecration Occasion for Warm Expression of Western Hospitality in Sioux Falls". The Churchman. 126 (26): 21. December 23, 1922.
  6. ^ "BISHOP W. B. ROBERTS OF SOUTH DAKOTA, 82". The New York Times. April 25, 1964.