Welcome, Bishop Baker

Perhaps you’ve already noticed the new addition to our downstairs lobby wall. If not, stop by soon and get acquainted with The Right Reverend Richard Henry Baker, VII Bishop of The Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina from 1959 to 1965.

Until this year, all official portraits of past Bishops have been displayed at the Diocesan offices in Raleigh. Recently, however, our current Bishops made the decision to scatter these portraits in parishes across the Diocese, where they will be seen by more people. St. Alban’s was selected to receive Bishop Baker’s portrait as a long-term loan because Bishop Baker was instrumental in establishing the St. Alban’s mission in Davidson in the 1950’s.

Born in 1897 in Norfolk, Virginia, he attended Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia, and the University of Virginia. During World War I, Baker served as an ambulance driver on the French front and was awarded the Croix de Guerre for his service.

Ordained a priest in 1924, Baker served in parish ministry in Virginia, Louisiana, and Baltimore, Maryland, prior to his election to the episcopate. Baker was elected Bishop Coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina in 1950 and was consecrated on January 25, 1951. He succeeded as Diocesan Bishop in 1959 and served until his retirement in 1965. During his time as Bishop in the early 1960s, he fostered healthy growth, he became a more vocal advocate for Civil Rights, and succeeded in desegregating all diocesan institutions.

Bishop Baker died in 1981 in Baltimore, but his legacy lives on in part through St. Alban’s journey from a small mission to a thriving parish. We can be proud to have his portrait hanging in our halls.

Yours in Christ,

Carmen