W. Blair Roberts

William Blair Roberts (December 10, 1881 - April 25, 1964) was a bishop in The Episcopal Church, serving in South Dakota.

The Right Reverend W. Blair Roberts
Bishop of South Dakota
Church	Episcopal Church
Diocese	South Dakota
Elected	September 29, 1931
In office	1931–1954
Predecessor	Hugh L. Burleson
Successor	Conrad H. Gesner
Orders
Ordination	June 20, 1909 by Frederick Foote Johnson
Consecration	December 6, 1922 by Daniel S. Tuttle
Personal details
Born	(1881-12-10)December 10, 1881 Detroit, Michigan, United States
Died	April 25, 1964(1964-04-25) (aged 82) Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States
Buried	Woodlawn Cemetery, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Nationality	American
Denomination	Anglican
Parents	William Jackson Roberts, Jane Eliza Fisher
Spouse	Meta Kemble Jackson ​ (m. 1910)​

Early life and education

Roberts was born on December 10, 1881, in Detroit, Michigan, the son of William Jackson Roberts and Jane Eliza Fisher. He was educated at the public school of Hartford, Connecticut, and then studied at Trinity College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1905, and being awarded a Doctor of Divinity in 1923.^[1] He also enrolled at Berkeley Divinity School, from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity in 1908, and a Doctor of Divinity in 1923.^[2]

Ordained ministry

Roberts was ordained deacon on June 3, 1908, by Bishop Chauncey B. Brewster of Connecticut, and priest on June 20, 1909, by Bishop Frederick Foote Johnson.^[3] He served as a missionary in Rosebud, South Dakota between 1908 and 1922. He also served as a chaplain in the American Expeditionary Forces between August 1918 and June 1919. In 1917, he also became Dean of Rosebud.^[4]

Bishop

On December 6, 1922, he was consecrated suffragan bishop of South Dakota, in Calvary Cathedral, Sioux Falls.^[5] On September 29, 1931, he was elected Bishop of South Dakota, remained so until his retirement on January 1, 1954.^[6]