Parsons, Edward Lambe, 1868-

Edward L. Parsons, 1868-1960, served as pastor at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Berkeley, California, 1904-1919. He was Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of San Francisco, 1919-1924, and Bishop of California, 1924-1941. Parsons was a strong activist for social welfare concerns, and in the promotion of Christian union. Edward Lambe Parsons was born in New York on May 18, 1868. Intending to become a lawyer, he attended Yale University in 1885, where he and his roommate, Gifford Pinchot, served as deacons of their class. After graduation Parsons decided instead to attend Union Seminary in New York. Although his family on both sides were Presbyterians, his petition to the Presbyterian ministry was rejected. He consulted with Bishop William Lawrence, Episcopal Bishop of Massachusetts, and attended Episcopal Theological Seminary at Cambridge, graduating in 1894. Parsons spent a year with Rector William R. Huntington at Grace Church in New York City, and in September 1896 became rector of a small church in Menlo Park, California. To supplement his salary he taught philosophy at Stanford University. In 1904 Parsons was called to serve as rector at St. Mark's in Berkeley, where he remained for the next fifteen years.

From the description of Edward Lambe Parsons papers, circa 1830-1968 (bulk 1890-1960). (University of California, Berkeley). WorldCat record id: 79461519

...