Goodrich Robert Fenner (August 12, 1891 – February 14, 1966) was the fifth bishop of Kansas in

The Episcopal Church The Episcopal Church (TEC), also known as the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America (PECUSA), is a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, based in the United States. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is ...

between 1939 and 1959.

Early life and education

Fenner was born on August 2, 1891, in

Beeville, Texas Beeville is a city in Bee County, Texas, Bee County, Texas, United States. Its population of 13,543 at the 2020 census makes it the 207th-largest city in Texas. It is the county seat of Bee County and home to the main campus of Coastal Bend Co ...

, the son of Robert Willis Fenner and Kate Elliott Fenner. He was one of a family of six sons and three daughters. Fenner studied at the Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College, graduating with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

in Civil Engineering in 1913. He also undertook studies 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 ...

from where he earned a

Bachelor of Sacred Theology The Bachelor of Sacred Theology (abbreviated STB) is the first of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the second being the Licentiate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theology) which are conferred by a number o ...

in 1916, a

Master of Sacred Theology Master of Theology (, abbreviated ThM, MTh or MTheol, or ''Sacrae Theologiae Magister''; abbreviated STM) is a post-graduate degree offered by universities, divinity schools, and seminaries. It can serve as a transition degree for entrance into a ...

in 1934, and an honorary

Doctor of Sacred Theology The Doctor of Sacred Theology (, abbreviated STD), also sometimes known as Professor of Sacred Theology (, abbreviated STP), is the final theological degree in the pontifical university system of the Catholic Church, being the ecclesiastical equ ...

in 1938.

Ordained ministry

Fenner was ordained deacon on May 7, 1916, by the Coadjutor Bishop of Virginia Arthur Selden Lloyd for the Diocese of West Texas and then priest by Bishop

William Theodotus Capers William Theodotus Capers (August 9, 1867 – March 29, 1943) was bishop of the Diocese of West Texas in the Episcopal Church in the United States from 1916 until his death. Early life and education Capers was born on August 9, 1867, in Greenv ...

of West Texas on November 12, 1916, at St Philip's Church,

Uvalde, Texas Uvalde ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Uvalde County, Texas, United States. The population was 15,217 at the 2020 census, down from 15,751 in 2010. It is the principal city in the Uvalde, Texas Micropolitan Statistical Area. Uvalde is ...

. He served as rector of St Philip's Church in Uvalde between 1916 and 1924 and then rector of Christ Church in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, between 1924 and 1932. He also served as chaplain in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

in 1918. In 1932 he was appointed secretary to the Rural division of the National Council Episcopal Church, a post he retained until 1935 when he became rector of

St Andrew's Church St. Andrew's Church, Church of St Andrew, or variants thereof, may refer to: Albania * St. Andrew's Church, Himarë Australia Australian Capital Territory * St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Canberra, founded by John Walker (Presbyterian minis ...

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

Bishop

Fenner was elected Coadjutor Bishop of Kansas on the first ballot by the diocesan convention which met on May 9, 1937, at Grace Church in

Chanute, Kansas Chanute () is a city in Neosho County, Kansas, Neosho County, Kansas, United States. Founded on January 1, 1873, it was named after railroad engineer and aviation pioneer Octave Chanute. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the po ...

. He was consecrated bishop in Grace Cathedral on September 29, 1937, by Bishop James H. Wise of Kansas. He then succeeded as diocesan on July 8, 1939, after the sudden death of Bishop Wise. During his episcopacy new congregations were established and university chaplaincies at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

and at

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant coll ...

came into being. Fenner retired in 1959 and died of a heart attack in 1966.

References

1891 births 1966 deaths People from Highland Park, Texas 20th-century American Episcopal priests Episcopal bishops of Kansas General Theological Seminary alumni Texas A&M University alumni {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub