E. Otis Charles
- April 24, 1926
- December 26, 2013
- 87 years
About E. Otis Charles
E. Otis Charles, 87, American clergyman and activist, Episcopal Bishop of Utah (1971–1993).
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Full Biography
|Edgar Otis Charles (called Otis; April 24, 1926 – December 26, 2013) was the eighth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Utah.
Early life
Charles was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania. He attended Trinity College, receiving a B.A. While at Trinity, he was a member of St. Anthony Hall. He attended the Union Theological Seminary in New York City where he received a Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree in 1951 and a Doctor of Divinity degree in 1983. He received a Doctorate of Sacred Theology from Creighton University.
Career
In May 1951, Charles was ordained as a priest. He served at St. John's Church in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He was a vicar of St. Andrew's in Beacon, New York. Charles served as a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut from 1959 to 1971. In 1958, he became a faculty member of the Episcopal Theological School. There, he served as a dean from 1969 to 1974.
He was also a rector of St. John's Parish in Washington, Connecticut from 1959 until 1967. While in Washington, he helped establish the Washington Montessori School and reopened the Wykeham Rise School that focused on the visual and performing arts.
From 1968 until 1982 he was a member and president of the Standing Liturgical Commission, which developed the 1979 edition of the Book of Common Prayer.
In 1971, he was elected Bishop of Utah and served in that position through 1986. At the same time, he was also the Bishop-in-Charge of the Episcopal Church in Navajoland for two years. While in Utah, Charles was involved in the peace movement. He opposed Nevada and Utah being launching sites for the MX missile. He was board chair of St. Mark's Hospital and of Rowland Hall-St. Mark's School. He also helped create the Hospice of Salt Lake City.
In the House of Bishops, Charles was chair of the Prayer a member of the Bishops' Committee on Racism. In June 1985, Charles became dean and president of the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He retired in 1993.
In 1993, he relocated to San Francisco, where he helped to found and was the executive director of Oasis/California, a gay and lesbian Episcopal ministry. He was also an interim dean at the School for Deacons in California. He also became the Bishop-in-Residence at the Church of St. John-the-Evangelist in San Francisco.
Charles was also a founding editor of Millennium3 which was distributed to all Episcopal clergy.
Honors
The Otis Charles Chair of Pastoral Theology was endowed at the Episcopal Divinity School in 1997.
Personal life
Charles married Elvira Latta on May 26, 1951. They had five children: Christopher, Nicholas, Emilie, Timothy, and Elvira. After his retirement in 1993, Charles publicly came out as gay, the first Christian bishop ever to take such a step. However, he told his wife that he was gay in 1976. He and his wife divorced shortly after his public announcement. Charles said, "I was ashamed of myself for remaining silent when the church was involved in an acrimonious debate about the whole question of gay people in the life of the church. I couldn't live with that any longer. I came to realize that I was only going to wither and die and it would be a destructive relationship for my wife and myself."
On April 24, 2004, he had a commitment ceremony with Felipe Sanchez-Paris (1941 – July 31, 2013). He legally married Sanchez-Paris on September 29, 2008. Sanchez-Paris was a retired professor and political organizer; he had four ex-wives and four children. 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. Sanchez-Paris died on July 30, 2013.
In 2013, Charles died in San Francisco, California. He is buried alongside Sanchez-Paris at St. Mark's Cathedral, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._Otis_Charles
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
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- September 29, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from E. Otis Charles's archived record and the sources above.
1.In what city was Edgar Otis Charles born?
- A.Salt Lake City, Utah
- B.San Francisco, California
- C.Norristown, Pennsylvaniacorrect
- D.Elizabeth, New Jersey
Edgar Otis Charles was born in the city of Norristown, Pennsylvania.
Source: Early life section
2.Which institution did Edgar Otis Charles attend for his undergraduate studies?
- A.Trinity Collegecorrect
- B.Episcopal Divinity School
- C.Creighton University
- D.Union Theological Seminary
Edgar Otis Charles received a B.A. while attending Trinity College.
Source: Early life section
3.In what year was Edgar Otis Charles ordained as a priest?
- A.1946
- B.1959
- C.1951correct
- D.1969
Edgar Otis Charles was ordained as a priest in May 1951.
Source: Career section
4.Edgar Otis Charles served as the bishop of which Episcopal diocese?
- A.Massachusetts
- B.California
- C.Utahcorrect
- D.Connecticut
Edgar Otis Charles served as the eighth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Utah.
Source: Biography introduction
5.Which organization did Edgar Otis Charles help create while living in Utah?
- A.The Standing Liturgical Commission
- B.The Hospice of Salt Lake Citycorrect
- C.The Washington Montessori School
- D.Oasis/California
While serving in Utah, Edgar Otis Charles helped create the Hospice of Salt Lake City.
Source: Career section
6.What role did Edgar Otis Charles hold regarding the Book of Common Prayer?
- A.He served as the official illustrator for the liturgy.
- B.He served as the president of the Standing Liturgical Commission.correct
- C.He translated the 1979 edition into multiple languages.
- D.He was the sole author of the 1979 edition.
Edgar Otis Charles was a member and president of the Standing Liturgical Commission, which developed the 1979 edition of the Book of Common Prayer.
Source: Career section
7.At which school did Edgar Otis Charles become dean and president in 1985?
- A.Episcopal Divinity Schoolcorrect
- B.Trinity College
- C.Wykeham Rise School
- D.School for Deacons
In June 1985, Edgar Otis Charles became dean and president of the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Source: Career section
8.How many children did Edgar Otis Charles have with his first wife, Elvira Latta?
- A.Three
- B.Fivecorrect
- C.Four
- D.Two
Edgar Otis Charles and Elvira Latta had five children: Christopher, Nicholas, Emilie, Timothy, and Elvira.
Source: Personal life section
9.In what year did Edgar Otis Charles first tell his wife that he was gay?
- A.2004
- B.1985
- C.1993
- D.1976correct
Despite publicly coming out after his 1993 retirement, Edgar Otis Charles revealed to his wife that he was gay in 1976.
Source: Personal life section
10.What is the name of the organization Edgar Otis Charles helped found in San Francisco for gay and lesbian Episcopalians?
- A.Millennium3
- B.Oasis/Californiacorrect
- C.The Episcopal Divinity School
- D.Standing Liturgical Commission
In 1993, Edgar Otis Charles helped to found and was the executive director of Oasis/California.
Source: Career section
11.When did Edgar Otis Charles officially marry Felipe Sanchez-Paris?
- A.June 1, 2009
- B.September 29, 2008correct
- C.April 24, 2004
- D.July 31, 2013
Edgar Otis Charles held a commitment ceremony in 2004, but legally married Felipe Sanchez-Paris on September 29, 2008.
Source: Personal life section
12.What documentary film features Edgar Otis Charles and Felipe Sanchez-Paris?
- A.Love Free or Diecorrect
- B.The Life of a Bishop
- C.Sacred Theology
- D.The Utah Ministry
Edgar Otis Charles and Felipe Sanchez-Paris appeared in the documentary film Love Free or Die.
Source: Personal life section
13.Where is Edgar Otis Charles buried?
- A.Trinity College campus
- B.St. Mark's Cathedral, Salt Lake Citycorrect
- C.San Francisco, California
- D.Norristown, Pennsylvania
Edgar Otis Charles is buried alongside Felipe Sanchez-Paris at St. Mark's Cathedral, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Source: Personal life section
14.What political issue did Edgar Otis Charles oppose while serving as Bishop of Utah?
- A.The revision of the Book of Common Prayer
- B.The closure of Rowland Hall-St. Mark's School
- C.The creation of the Hospice of Salt Lake City
- D.The use of Utah and Nevada as MX missile launching sitescorrect
While in Utah, Edgar Otis Charles was involved in the peace movement and opposed Nevada and Utah being launching sites for the MX missile.
Source: Career section
15.Which academic degree did Edgar Otis Charles receive from Creighton University?
- A.Doctor of Divinity
- B.Doctorate of Sacred Theologycorrect
- C.Bachelor of Sacred Theology
- D.Bachelor of Arts
Edgar Otis Charles received a Doctorate of Sacred Theology from Creighton University.
Source: Early life section
16.What was the name of the publication for which Edgar Otis Charles served as a founding editor?
- A.Millennium3correct
- B.The Utah Bishop
- C.St. Mark's Journal
- D.The Episcopal Times
Edgar Otis Charles was a founding editor of Millennium3, which was distributed to all Episcopal clergy.
Source: Career section
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