Roger Wilson Blanchard (September 11, 1909 - February 17, 1998) was an American bishop of the Episcopal Church. He was the church's Bishop of Southern Ohio from 1959 to 1970.

The Right Reverend

Roger Wilson Blanchard
V Bishop of Southern Ohio
ChurchEpiscopal Church
DioceseSouthern Ohio
Elected1958
In office1959–1970
PredecessorHenry Hobson
SuccessorJohn McGill Krumm
Previous post(s)Coadjutor Bishop of Southern Ohio (1958-1959)
Orders
OrdinationMarch 1937
by Henry Knox Sherrill
ConsecrationNovember 11, 1958
by Henry Knox Sherrill
Personal details
Born(1909-09-11)September 11, 1909
DiedFebruary 17, 1998(1998-02-17) (aged 88)
Bristol, Maine, United States
NationalityAmerican
DenominationAnglican
ParentsCharles Francis Blanchard, Grace Wilson
Spouse
Patricia Alice Goodwillie
(m. 1936; died 1995)
EducationEpiscopal Theological School
Alma materBoston University

Early life and education

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Blanchard was born on September 11, 1909, in Brockton, Massachusetts, the son of Charles Francis Blanchard and Grace Wilson. He was educated in the public schools of Brockton, and then at Boston University, from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1932. He then enrolled at the Episcopal Theological Seminary in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and earned a Bachelor of Divinity in 1936. Blanchard married Patricia Alice Goodwillie on June 11, 1936, and together had three children. He was awarded a Doctor of Divinity by Lake Erie College and Kenyon College, respectively, in 1958.[1]

Ordained ministry

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Blanchard was ordained deacon in June, 1936, and priest in March 1937 by Bishop Henry Knox Sherrill of Massachusetts.[2] He served as curate at St Stephen's Church in Lynn, Massachusetts, from 1936 to 1938, and then as rector of St Peter's Church in Beverly, Massachusetts, from 1938 to 1943.[3] In 1943, he became rector of Calvary Church in Columbia, Missouri, while in 1949, he became the executive secretary of the Division of College Work for the national church. In 1956, he became Dean of St John's Cathedral in Jacksonville, Florida, retaining the post till 1958.[4]

Bishop

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In 1958, Blanchard was elected Coadjutor Bishop of Southern Ohio and was consecrated at Christ Church, Cincinnati, on November 11, 1958, by the presiding bishop, Henry Knox Sherrill.[5] He then succeeded as diocesan bishop in May 1959 and remained so until his retirement in 1970. He then served as an assisting bishop in the Diocese of Massachusetts.

Blanchard died on February 17, 1998, following a long illness.[6]

References

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  1. ^ "BLANCHARD, ROGER WILSON". Who's Who in the East. 16: 73. 1977.
  2. ^ "BLANCHARD, Roger Wilson". Stowe's Clerical Directory of the American Episcopal Church: 35. 1953.
  3. ^ "BLANCHARD, ROGER WILSON". Who's Who in Religion. 1: 54. 1975.
  4. ^ "BLANCHARD, Roger Wilson". Who's Who in United States Politics and American Political Almanac: 87. 1963.
  5. ^ "Southern Ohio Consecration". The Living Church. 137: 8. 23 November 1958.
  6. ^ "Bishop Blanchard Dies", The Living Church, 15 March 1998. Retrieved on 9 December 2020.