E. Otis Charles

Edgar Otis Charles[1] (called Otis; April 24, 1926 – December 26, 2013) was the eighth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Utah.[2]

The Right Reverend

E. Otis Charles
Bishop of Utah
ChurchEpiscopal Church
DioceseUtah
Elected1971
In office1971–1986
PredecessorRichard S. Watson
SuccessorGeorge F. Bates
Orders
OrdinationOctober 7, 1951
by Alfred L. Banyard
ConsecrationSeptember 12, 1971
by John E. Hines
Personal details
Birth nameEdgar Otis Charles
Born(1926-04-24)April 24, 1926
Norristown, Pennsylvania, US
DiedDecember 26, 2013(2013-12-26) (aged 87)
San Francisco, California, US
DenominationAnglican
Spouse
  • Elvira Latta (m. 1951; div. c. 1993)
  • Felipe Sanchez-Paris
    ​
    ​
    (m. 2004; died 2013)​

Career

Charles was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, and first served as a priest in Connecticut. From 1968 until 1982 he was a member of the Standing Liturgical Commission, which developed the 1979 edition of the Book of Common Prayer. In 1971, he was elected Bishop of Utah. He was active in the peace movement, and opposed Nevada and Utah being launching sites for the MX missile. In the House of Bishops, Charles was chair of the Prayer Book Committee and a member of the Bishops' Committee on Racism. Charles became Dean of the Episcopal Divinity School in 1985. Charles also has significant academic achievements, including a Doctorate of Divinity and a Doctorate of Sacred Theology.

Personal life

Charles was married for 42 years and had five children.[3] After his retirement in 1993, Charles publicly came out as gay, the first Christian bishop ever to take such a step.[4] Soon after this he and his wife divorced. He relocated to San Francisco, where he helped to found the California branch of the Oasis Commission. He married Felipe Sanchez-Paris (1941 – July 31, 2013) on September 29, 2008.[5] The two appear in the documentary film Love Free or Die, testifying about a resolution directing the Episcopal Church to create a provisional rite for the blessing of same-gender relationships at its 2009 General Convention in Anaheim, California.[6] Sanchez-Paris died on July 30, 2013.[7] Charles died on December 26, 2013, in San Francisco, California. They are buried alongside each other at St. Mark's Cathedral, Salt Lake City, Utah.

References
  1. The Free Lance-Star – August 14, 1972 – Consecration critique stirs Utah controversy
  2. "Charles, Otis. Utah". Archived from the original on April 20, 2007. Retrieved June 2, 2007.
  3. "The Battle over Same-Sex Marriage". San Francisco Chronicle. April 29, 2004. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
  4. "Profile: Right Rev. Otis Charles, DD, STD". The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Religious Archives Network. June 3, 2003. Retrieved June 2, 2007.
  5. http://www.americantowns.com/ca/sanfrancisco/news/first-openly-gay-bishop-otis-charles-and-dr-felipe-sanchezparis-marriage-134456
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 26, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. http://www.diocal.org/pcn/news/memoriam-felipe-sanchez-paris
Episcopal Church (USA) titles
Preceded by
Richard S. Watson		 Bishop of Utah
1971–1993		 Succeeded by
George E. Bates
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