Robert Lewis Paddock (December 24, 1869 – May 17, 1939) was first bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon, serving from 1907 until his retirement in 1922.

Early life and education

Paddock was born on December 24, 1869, in New York City to the Reverend

John A. Paddock John Adams Paddock (January 19, 1825 – March 4, 1894) was the first missionary bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia, serving from 1880 to 1894. Early life and education John A. Paddock was born in Norwich, Connecticut on January 19, 182 ...

, later

Bishop of Olympia The Episcopal Diocese of Olympia, also known as the Episcopal Church in Western Washington, is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in Washington state west of the Cascade Range. It is one of 17 dioceses and an area mission that make up Province ...

, and Frances Chester Fanning. He was also the nephew of

Benjamin Henry Paddock Benjamin Henry Paddock (February 29, 1828 – March 9, 1891) was the fifth Bishop of Massachusetts in the Episcopal Church. Biography Paddock was born on February 29, 1828, in Norwich, Connecticut, the son of the Reverend Seth Birdsey Paddo ...

Bishop of Massachusetts The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts is one of the nine original dioceses of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. History Massachusetts was founded by Puritans who did not accept such aspects of the Church of England as bish ...

. He studied at Trinity College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1894, a Master of Arts in 1897, and was awarded a Doctor of Sacred Theology in 1910. He also studied theology at the Berkeley Divinity School and graduated with a

Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD or BDiv; la, Baccalaureus Divinitatis) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology ...

in 1897, and was awarded a

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

in 1908.

Hobart College Hobart College may refer to: * Hobart and William Smith Colleges Hobart and William Smith Colleges are Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts colleges in Geneva, New York. They trace their origins to G ...

also awarded him a Bachelor of Sacred Theology in 1908.

Ordained ministry

Paddock was ordained deacon on June 1, 1897, by Bishop William Woodruff Niles of New Hampshire, at Trinity Church,

Middletown, Connecticut Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States, Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, it is south of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated by English settler ...

. He then was in charge of St Paul's Mission in Southington, Connecticut, in 1897, and later became general secretary of the Church Students’ Missionary Association and assistant at St Paul’s Church in

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, between 1897 and 1898. While in Ohio he was ordained priest on May 29, 1898, by Bishop

William Andrew Leonard William Andrew Leonard (July 15, 1848 - September 21, 1930) was an American author and prelate of the Episcopal Church, who served as the fourth Bishop of Ohio from 1889 till 1930. Early life and education Leonard was born on July 15, 1848, in ...

of Ohio in St Paul’s Church. He then became vicar of the Stanton street mission, known as the Pro Cathedral in New York City, and was installed as a canon of the chapter of the

Cathedral of St. John the Divine The Cathedral of St. John the Divine (sometimes referred to as St. John's and also nicknamed St. John the Unfinished) is the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. It is at 1047 Amsterdam Avenue in the Morningside Heights neighborhood ...

, where he remained until 1902. he later served as rector of the Church of the Holy Apostles in New York City from 1902 to 1907.

Episcopacy

Paddock was elected by the House of Bishops on the third ballot to become the first Missionary Bishop of Eastern Oregon in 1907. He was consecrated on December 18, 1907, in the Church of the Holy Apostles by Presiding Bishop Daniel S. Tuttle. He spent the next 15 year ministering in Eastern Oregon while promoting the bringing together of existing churches of various denominations rather than building new Episcopal churches. He was also quite unorthodox in relation to record keeping, reports, accounting, and secretaries, things which he deemed unimportant. Between 1918 and 1919 he took a short leave to minister in the YMCA in France. He retired in September 1922 due to poor health. After his retirement he married H. Jean Aitken on January 9, 1923, who had died on January 31, 1938. He himself died on May 17, 1939, at St. John's Episcopal Hospital in New York City, after being admitted on January 10. His funeral was held at the Church of the Holy Apostles officiated by Bishop

Charles Kendall Gilbert Charles Kendall Gilbert (August 6, 1878 – November 18, 1958) was bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, serving from 1947 to 1950. He served as suffragan from 1930 to 1946. He retired in 1950. Education Gilbert attended Hamilton College fr ...

. He was then cremated and his ashes scattered.Minor, M. S. (1965)
''Portrait of a Rebel: The Story of Robert Lewis Paddock, 1869-1939''
Seabury Press.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paddock, Robert L. 1869 births 1939 deaths Episcopal bishops of Eastern Oregon Berkeley Divinity School alumni