Frederick Warren Putnam, Jr. (June 17, 1917June 7, 2007) was the first

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the Navajoland Area Mission. He also served as Suffragan Bishop of Oklahoma and Assistant Bishop in Minnesota.

Early life and education

Putnam was born on June 17, 1917, in

Red Wing, Minnesota Red Wing is a city in and the county seat of Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States, along the upper Mississippi River. The population was 16,547 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropo ...

, to Frederick Warren Putnam and Margaret Bunting. He studied at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

and graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in 1939. He also earned a

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD, DB, or BDiv; ) is an academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies. ...

from

Seabury-Western Theological Seminary Seabury-Western Theological Seminary (SWTS) was a seminary of the Episcopal Church, located in Evanston, Illinois. It ceased offering the Master of Divinity degree in May 2010, and in January 2012 it moved from Evanston to the Evangelical Luth ...

in 1942, and was awarded a

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...

in 1963. He was also a postgraduate student at the

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricult ...

between 1946 and 1947.

Ordained ministry

Putnam was ordained

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

in March 1942 by Bishop Frank McElwain of Minnesota and

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

on October 5, 1942, by Coadjutor Bishop Stephen Keeler of Minnesota at St Mark's Cathedral. He married Helen Kathryn Prouse on September 24, 1942, and together had three sons. He was priest-in-charge of the Church of the Good Shepherd in

Windom, Minnesota Windom is a city in and the county seat of Cottonwood County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 4,798 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Cottonwood County and is situated in the Coteau des Prairies. Although a mostly s ...

and St John's Church in

Worthington, Minnesota Worthington is a city in and the county seat of Nobles County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 13,947 at the time of the 2020 census. History The city's site was first settled in the 1870s as Okabena Station on a line of the Ch ...

between 1942 and 1943, and then rector of Trinity Church in

Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, fifth-most populous c ...

and chaplain at

from 1943 to 1947. In 1947, he became rector of St Matthew's Church in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...

, while in 1960, he transferred to

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the List of cities in Kansas, most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397, ...

to serve as rector of St James' Church, where he remained until 1963.

Episcopacy

In November 1962, Putnam was elected Suffragan Bishop of Oklahoma and was consecrated bishop on May 20, 1963, at the Municipal Auditorium in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

by Robert R. Brown of Arkansas. He remained in Oklahoma until 1979 when he was elected as the first resident bishop of the Navajoland Area Mission. He was installed on January 27, 1979. He strived to promote civil, women's, and Native American rights. He then retired in 1982 and served as Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of Minnesota. He died on June 7, 2007, in

Edina, Minnesota Edina ( , ) is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States and a first-ring suburb of Minneapolis. The population was 53,494 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the 18th most populous ci ...

References

1917 births 2007 deaths People from Red Wing, Minnesota Episcopal bishops of Minnesota 20th-century American Episcopalians Episcopal bishops of Oklahoma Episcopal bishops of Navajoland 20th-century American clergy General Theological Seminary alumni {{Oklahoma-stub