Edwin Charles Boulton
Encyclopedia
Edwin Charles Boulton was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

 of the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...

, elected in 1980.

Birth and Family

He was born on 15 April 1928 in St. Joseph, Missouri
Saint Joseph, Missouri
Saint Joseph is the second largest city in northwest Missouri, only second to Kansas City in size, serving as the county seat for Buchanan County. As of the 2010 census, Saint Joseph had a total population of 76,780, making it the eighth largest city in the state. The St...

, the son of Glenn E. and Elsa A. Person Boulton. On 17 July 1949, Edwin married Betty Ann Fisher in Lathrop, Missouri
Lathrop, Missouri
Lathrop is a city in Clinton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,092 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lathrop is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....

, with whom he had four children.

Education

Boulton earned his A.B.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 degree from William Jewell College
William Jewell College
William Jewell College is a private, four-year liberal arts college of 1,100 undergraduate students located in Liberty, Missouri, U.S. It was founded in 1849 by members of the Missouri Baptist Convention and other civic leaders, including Robert S. James, a Baptist minister and father of the...

 in Liberty, Missouri
Liberty, Missouri
Liberty is a city in Clay County, Missouri and is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. At the 2007 population estimate, the city population was 29,993...

 in 1950, and his M.Div.
Master of Divinity
In the academic study of theology, the Master of Divinity is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America...

 degree from Duke Divinity School
Duke Divinity School
The Divinity School at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina is one of thirteen seminaries founded and supported by the United Methodist Church. It has 39 full time and 18 part time faculty and over 500 full time students. The current dean of The Divinity School is Richard B. Hays, who replaced...

 in 1953. While attending school Edwin served churches in Lathrop, and then the Calvary Methodist Church in Durham, North Carolina
Durham, North Carolina
Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...

.

Bishop Boulton received honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...

s from Iowa Wesleyan College
Iowa Wesleyan College
Iowa Wesleyan College is a private four-year liberal arts college of the United Methodist Church located Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.Iowa Wesleyan is recognized as a pioneer in higher education in America. Founded in 1842, it ranks as the oldest coeducational college located west of the Mississippi River...

, Simpson College
Simpson College
Simpson College is a four-year, coeducational liberal arts institution situated in Indianola, Iowa, USA, and affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Simpson, which has been fully accredited by North Central Association since 1913, is a small school with approximately 1,400 full-time students...

, Rust College
Rust College
Rust College is a historically black liberal arts college located in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Located approximately 35 miles southeast of Memphis, Tennessee, it is the second-oldest private college in the state...

, Westmar College, Mount Union College
Mount Union College
The University of Mount Union is a 4-year private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Alliance, Ohio.Mount Union enrolls 2200 undergraduates. Approximately 50 percent are women and 50 percent are men, representing more than 22 states and 13 countries. Mount Union has an active alumni base of...

, Dakota Wesleyan University
Dakota Wesleyan University
Dakota Wesleyan University is a four-year university located in Mitchell, South Dakota, founded in 1885, that is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The student body averages slightly less than 800 students...

 and Baldwin-Wallace College
Baldwin-Wallace College
Baldwin–Wallace College is a liberal arts college in Berea, Ohio, founded in 1845. It is home to the Riemenschneider-Bach Institute and the Baldwin–Wallace Conservatory of Music, an internationally renowned music school. The college is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Students receive a...

.

Ordained Ministry

Following his graduation from Duke he was ordained Deacon and appointed to serve the West End and Vass Methodist Churches in the North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

 Annual Conference
Annual Conference
An Annual Conference in the United Methodist Church is a regional body that governs much of the life of the "Connectional Church." Annual conferences are composed primarily of the clergy members and a lay member or members from each charge . Each conference is a geographical division...

, where he remained for three and a half years. He then became a member of the North Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

 Conference in 1956, where he was also ordained Elder. Between 1954 and 1970 Edwin served these churches: Republic Community in Ionia
Ionia, Iowa
Ionia is a city in Chickasaw County, Iowa, United States. The population was 277 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Ionia is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....

; Pocahontas
Pocahontas, Iowa
Pocahontas is a city in and the county seat of Pocahontas County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,789 in the 2010 census, a decline from the 1,970 population in the 2000 census.-History:...

; and Asbury in Bettendorf
Bettendorf, Iowa
Bettendorf is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Bettendorf is the fifteenth largest city in the U.S. state of Iowa and the fourth largest city in the "Quad Cities". As of the 2010 United States Census the population grew to 33,217. Bettendorf is one of the Quad Cities, along with...

. In 1970 he was appointed Superintendent of the Dubuque
Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....

 District, serving three years until becoming Administrative Assistant to the Bishop of the Iowa Area, Bishop James S. Thomas
James Samuel Thomas
James Samuel Thomas was an American bishop in The Methodist Church . When elected in 1964, he was the youngest Methodist Bishop to date....

. While serving in this position Edwin was one of the negotiators at the crisis at Wounded Knee
Wounded Knee, South Dakota
Wounded Knee is a census-designated place in Shannon County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 382 at the 2010 census....

.

Prior to his election to the Episcopacy, Edwin was a delegate to Jurisdictional Conference in 1972, and to General Conference in 1976 and 1980. He served on the Interjurisdictional Committee on the Episcopacy, and was active in the World Methodist Council
World Methodist Council
The World Methodist Council, founded in 1881, is an association of churches in the Methodist tradition which comprises most of the world's Wesleyan denominations.- Extension and organization:...

, where he served on the Evangelism, Finance, and Executive Committees.

Episcopal Ministry

Upon his election, Bishop Boulton was assigned to the Dakotas Episcopal Area (North and South Dakota Annual Conferences), where he served until 1988 when he was assigned to the Ohio East Area. He was President of the U.M. General Council on Finance and Administration. He had the opportunity of preaching in England, Israel, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Hungary.

Bishop Boulton was known as a wordsmith who phrased faith, life and relationships in refreshing clarity. One friend paid this tribute to him:
"I had a hard time calling him 'Bishop.' He laughed too much. He liked to be with children. He inhaled ice cream. He enjoyed football - watching or playing. He was an excellent storyteller. He was an attentive listener - even if he had heard it all before! He was patient with others. He was an advocate for the underdog - the dirt farmer in Iowa, the Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 in Dakota, the factory worker in Ohio. He idolized his grandchildren, admired his children, loved and adored Betty Ann. He was a good man who just happened to be Bishop - Ed Boulton."

Retirement

Bishop Boulton retired from the active episcopacy in 1996. He and his wife purchased a home in the North Canton, Ohio
North Canton, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,369 people, 7,114 households, and 4,382 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,697.1 people per square mile . There were 7,506 housing units at an average density of 1,236.8 per square mile...

 area. He also became Adjunct Professor of Homiletics
Homiletics
Homiletics , in theology the application of the general principles of rhetoric to the specific department of public preaching. The one who practices or studies homiletics is called a homilist....

 at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio
Methodist Theological School in Ohio
The Methodist Theological School in Ohio, commonly known as "Methesco", is one of the 13 official seminaries of The United Methodist Church.MTSO is a partner in the Theological Consortium of Greater Columbus, along with Trinity Lutheran Seminary and the Pontifical College Josephinum...

, Delaware, Ohio
Delaware, Ohio
The City of Delaware is a city in and the county seat of Delaware County in the United States state of Ohio. Delaware was founded in 1808 and was incorporated in 1816. It is located near the center of Ohio, is about north of Columbus, and is part of the Columbus, Ohio Metropolitan Area...

.

Death and Funeral

Having had health problems since becoming a Bishop and after suffering for some months from a rare auto-immune disorder, Boulton died 15 May 2000 in Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...

. His Memorial Service was held 26 May 2000 in the First U.M.Church, Akron, OH. The Rev. D. Lynn Snider, Pastor, Bishop James S. Thomas, Bishop Jonathan D. Keaton
Jonathan D. Keaton
Jonathan D. Keaton is an American Bishop of the United Methodist Church, elected in 1996.-Birth and Family:He is married to Beverly L. Keaton. They have three grown children: Jonathan D. Keaton, II, Tandreka J. Keaton, and Anaya T. Keaton; and one grandchild.-Education:Jonathan earned the B.S...

, Bishop Judith Craig
Judith Craig
Judith Craig is a retired American Bishop of The United Methodist Church, whose primary field of service was the U.S..Elected bishop in 1984, she was born on 5 June 1937 in Lexington, Missouri.-Education:...

 and the Rev. Dr. L. Mark George participated. Larry Sonner, Pastoral Care Director of the Iowa Annual Conference
Annual Conference
An Annual Conference in the United Methodist Church is a regional body that governs much of the life of the "Connectional Church." Annual conferences are composed primarily of the clergy members and a lay member or members from each charge . Each conference is a geographical division...

 and one of Edwin's long-time close friends presented a sermonic tribute to him. At the time of his death, Bishop Boulton was survived by his wife; by his daughter, Lisa Boulton; by his daughter and son-in-law, Melanie and Bob Powell; by his son, Jim Boulton; by his son and daughter-in-law, Mitch and Georga Boulton; and by his grandchildren, Breanna, Shaila and Tory Boulton. One grandson, Brennan, preceded him in death in 1993.

See also

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