Robert Tharp

Robert Gould Tharp (October 25, 1928 – May 30, 2003) was an American bishop. He was the second bishop of East Tennessee in the Episcopal Church from 1992 till 1999.[1] Bishop Tharp Business and Technology Institute in Les Cayes, Haiti, is named for him.[2]

The Right Reverend

Robert Gould Tharp

D.D.
Bishop of East Tennessee
ChurchEpiscopal Church
DioceseEast Tennessee
ElectedNovember 17, 1990
In office1992-1999
PredecessorWilliam Evan Sanders
SuccessorCharles G. vonRosenberg
Other postsAssisting Bishop of Atlanta
Orders
OrdinationJanuary 9, 1957
by William F. Moses
ConsecrationMay 4, 1991
by Edmond L. Browning
Personal details
Born(1928-10-25)October 25, 1928
Orlando, Florida, United States
DiedMay 30, 2003(2003-05-30) (aged 74)
BuriedSt. John's Cathedral (Knoxville, Tennessee)
NationalityAmerican
DenominationAnglican
SpouseAnn Bradford
Children2
Previous postCoadjutor Bishop of East Tennessee (1991-1992)
Alma materWesleyan University

Early life and education

Tharp was born on October 25, 1928, in Orlando, Florida. He studied at Wesleyan University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1950. He also served in the U.S. Army. Later he studied at the Seabury-Western Theological Seminary and graduated with a Master of Divinity in 1956.

Ordained ministry

Tharp was ordained deacon in 1956 and priest on January 9, 1957. In 1956 he became curate at St. Mary’s Church in Tampa, Florida,[3] while on August 1, 1958, he became curate at St. Philip's Church in Coral Gables, Florida.[4] Later he became rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Maitland, Florida, and then rector of St James' Church in Ormond Beach, Florida, a post he retained until 1968.[5] In 1968 he took a sabbatical to study at King's College London in England. Upon his return to the United States in 1969, he become rector of St Peter’s Church in Columbia, Tennessee. In 1978 he left St. Peter's and became canon to the ordinary (assistant to the bishop) of the Diocese of Tennessee, a post he carried with him when Bishop Sanders of Tennessee became Bishop of East Tennessee in 1985.

Episcopacy

On November 17, 1990, Tharp was elected Coadjutor Bishop of East Tennessee during a special meeting of the sixth annual convention of the diocese. He was consecrated on May 4, 1991, by Presiding Bishop Edmond L. Browning. He succeeded as diocesan bishop on January 1, 1992, and retired in February 1999. After retirement he served as chairman of the board of directors for Episcopal Relief and Development and Assistant Bishop of Atlanta. Tharp died on May 30, 2003.[6]

References
  1. "The Right Reverend Robert Gould Tharp: Second Bishop of the Diocese of East Tennessee". The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
  2. McDonald, Emily (September 1, 2004). "ERD building Bishop Tharp Institute in Les Cayes, Haiti". The Episcopal Church. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
  3. "Deacons". The Living Church. 133: 15. 22 July 1956.
  4. "Appointments Accepted". The Living Church. 136: 22. 18 May 1958.
  5. "People and Places". The Living Church. 156: 23. 14 January 1968.
  6. "Bishop Tharp dies after extended illness". The Episcopal Church. 3 June 2003. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
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