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:
“I know what you’re thinking. Did he fire six shots or only five? Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement I’ve kinda lost track myself. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off—you’ve got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?”
—Harry Fink, U.S. screenwriter, Rita Fink, U.S. screenwriter, Dean Riesner, U.S. screenwriter, and Don Siegel. Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood)
“It is said that a carpenter building a summer hotel here ... declared that one very clear day he picked out a ship coming into Portland Harbor and could distinctly see that its cargo was West Indian rum. A county historian avers that it was probably an optical delusion, the result of looking so often through a glass in common use in those days.”
—For the State of New Hampshire, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)