George West Barrett (May 10, 1908 - September 3, 2000) was an American Episcopal prelate who served as the fourth

Bishop of Rochester The Bishop of Rochester is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury. The town of Rochester, Kent, Rochester has the bishop's seat, at the Rochester Cathedral, Cathedral Chur ...

between 1963 and 1969.

Education

Barrett was born in 1908 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 ...

but was raised in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...

. He studied at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

from where he 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 ...

and later studied theology at the

Episcopal Divinity School The Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) is an unaccredited theological school in New York City. Established to train people for ordination in the American Episcopal Church, the seminary eventually began training students from other denominations. T ...

and graduated in 1933.

Priest

He was ordained deacon in July 1933 by Bishop W. Bertrand Stevens of Los Angeles, and priest in March 1934 by Bishop Robert Burton Gooden, Suffragan of Los Angeles. He became curate at St Paul's Church in

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

, where he remained till 1936. Later he served as rector of St Mark's Church in

Upland, California Upland is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States, on the border with neighboring Los Angeles County. The municipality is located at an elevation of . As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population ...

. In 1942 he moved to

Monrovia, California Monrovia is a city in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Monrovia is the fourth-oldest General-law municipality, general-law city in Los Angeles County and the L ...

to become rector of St Luke's Church and in 1947 he became rector of St James' Church in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. In 1955 he became rector of Christ Church in

Bronxville, New York Bronxville is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States, located approximately north of Midtown Manhattan. It is part of the Adminis ...

and professor of Pastoral Theology at the

General Theological Seminary The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church (GTS) is an Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal seminary in New York City. Founded in 1817, GTS is the oldest seminary of the Episcopal Church and the longest continuously operating ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Bishop

Barrett was elected Bishop of Rochester during the second ballot on February 5, 1963, during a special convention in Rochester. He was consecrated on May 11, 1963, by Horace W. B. Donegan, Bishop of New York in Christ Church in

. He retained the post till his retirement in 1969. After retirement he served as Assistant Bishop of Los Angeles and was bishop in residence at the Church of St Alban in

and Trinity Church in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...

Ordination of women

Barrett is best remembered for ordaining four women to the priesthood on September 7, 1975, before the Episcopal Church had approved the ordination of women. The ordination took place at the St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church in

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

The four women were Lee McGee (Street), Alison Palmer, Betty Rosenberg (Powell), and Diane Tickell, four women who became known as the Washington Four. After the ordination, Barrett was temporary banned from performing his duties. The General Convention approved the ordination of women a year later.Pace, Eric
"Bishop George W. Barrett, 92; Fostered Women's Ordination"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', New York, 07 December 2000. Retrieved on 11 March 2019.

Family

Barrett married his first wife Emma Dee Hanford in 1936 but the marriage ended in divorce. They had a daughter and a son together. He remarried in 1970 to Bettina Tvede.

Death

Barrett died in

on December 3, 2000, after stopping

kidney dialysis Kidney dialysis is the process of removing excess water, solutes, and toxins from the blood in people whose kidneys can no longer perform these functions naturally. Along with kidney transplantation, it is a type of renal replacement therapy. ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrett, George W. 1908 births 2000 deaths People from Iowa City, Iowa Clergy from Pasadena, California University of California, Los Angeles alumni Episcopal Divinity School alumni Episcopal Divinity School faculty Episcopal bishops of Rochester 20th-century American bishops 20th-century American Episcopal priests