Donald Purple Hart (born April 22, 1937) was bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Hawaii The Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i () is the ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Episcopal Church of the Anglican Communion in the United States encompassing the state of Hawaii and Episcopal congregations in Micronesia. It is led by the Ep ...

from 1986 to 1994.

Early life and ministry

Hart was educated at

South Kent School South Kent School, a private all-boys boarding school in South Kent, Connecticut, United States, is located on a campus in western Litchfield County. It is sited on Spooner Hill east of Bull's Bridge, overlooking the former Housatonic Valle ...

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, and The

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, in Cambridge,

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. After his curacy in

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, he and his wife, Elizabeth, were appointed missionaries to

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

. They served in several small Native American villages, as chaplain to native people in Anchorage, and as rector of St. Matthews, Fairbanks. He was also rector of St James' Episcopal Church,

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Bishop

Hart was elected as the ninth Bishop of Hawaii on the fifth ballot In June 1986. Throughout the balloting, Hart led in both orders. On the fifth and final ballot, he received 37 clergy votes and 97 lay votes, with a majority being 33 for clergy and 85 for lay votes. He was consecrated on November 30, 1986.

Resignation

Bishop Hart resigned as Bishop of Hawaii on June 26, 1994. His resignation came about as a result of a complicated fiscal crisis stemming from the church's guaranty of a $4 million bank loan for a retirement facility which it didn't repay. In 1996 the Diocese of Hawaii's Special Committee on Episcopal Homes of Hawaii, Inc. recommended and the diocesan council agreed to take no further action against the Bishop Hart. After his resignation he served as assistant bishop in Connecticut, Maryland, and Southern Virginia.

References

*"Bishop Hart of Hawaii Resigns" in ''

The Living Church ''The Living Church'' is a magazine based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, providing commentary and news on the Episcopal Church and the wider Anglican Communion. It is the flagship publication of The Living Church Foundation. In continuous publication ...

'', July 17, 1994, p. 6. Living people 1937 births Clergy from New York City Episcopal bishops of Hawaii Christian missionaries in Alaska Williams College alumni Episcopal Divinity School alumni {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub