Harry James Carpenter (b. Liss 20 October 1901 – d. Oxford 24 May 1993) was an English bishop and theologian. He was Warden of Keble College, Oxford (1939–1955) and then 37th Bishop of Oxford (1955–1970.).
He was educated at Churcher's College and Queens' College, Cambridge; and ordained after a period of study at Cuddesdon College in 1928. His first post was a curacy in Leatherhead.
He married Urith Monica Trevelyan, a teacher. Their son was the eminent biographer, writer and radio broadcaster Humphrey Carpenter.
From 1962 to 1970 he lived in the village of Cuddesdon, where there had historically been a bishop's palace, but his successors found this impractical and in 1978 the bishops reverted to living within the city. He initiated the ecumenical discussions which eventually resulted in the building of the Church of Christ the Cornerstone in Milton Keynes.
There is a parish school named after Carpenter in the Oxfordshire village of North Newington.
Famous quotes containing the words harry and/or carpenter:
“All my life I’ve been running, from welfare officers, thugs, my father. See, there they are [the killers]. There on the bridge. I’m a dead man. Nosseros told me that. He told me. He said, “You got it all, but you’re a dead man, Harry Fabian.””
—Jo Eisinger, and Jules Dassin. Harry Fabian (Richard Widmark)
““But there’s always been rich and poor, and that’s all there is to it. And us two won’t change it, either.”
The carpenter calmly puffs away: “Only the ones that likes it ought to be poor. Let the others have a try at it first. I ain’t got no liking for it. A fellow gets tired of it after a while.””
—Alfred Döblin (1878–1957)