Peter Trimble Rowe

Peter Trimble Rowe (November 20, 1856 – June 1, 1942) was a Canadian prelate who served for decades as the first bishop of the American Episcopal Diocese of Alaska.

The Right Reverend Peter Trimble Rowe
Bishop of Alaska
Church	Episcopal Church
Diocese	Alaska
In office	1895–1942
Successor	John Boyd Bentley
Orders
Ordination	November 14, 1880 by Frederick Fauquier
Consecration	November 30, 1895 by William Croswell Doane
Personal details
Born	(1856-11-20)November 20, 1856 Meadowvale, Toronto Township, Ontario, Canada
Died	June 1, 1942(1942-06-01) (aged 85) Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Buried	Sitka, Alaska
Nationality	Canadian
Denomination	Anglican
Parents	Peter Rowe & Mary Elizabeth Trimble
Spouse	Dora Henriette Carry ​ ​ (m. 1882; died 1914)​ Rose H. Fullerton ​ (m. 1915)​
Children	5
Alma mater	Trinity College, Toronto

Early life and education

Peter Rowe was born in Meadowvale, Toronto Township, Ontario. He attended local schools and went to Trinity College, Toronto. There he earned his bachelor's degree in 1878, his master's degree in 1880, and his doctorate of divinity in 1895.

Rowe, second from left in the front row, standing next to William Duncan, to his left, in 1918. Duncan, late in his life, was presented with a loving cup on this occasion.

Clergy

Rowe was ordained to the diaconate in 1878 and the priesthood in 1880, by Frederick Dawson Fauquier, bishop of the Diocese of Algoma.

In 1895, he was appointed Missionary Bishop of Alaska. He was consecrated on November 30, 1895, by William Croswell Doane, Ozi William Whittaker, and Thomas A. Starkey.

Rowe traveled across his vast diocese for decades, by dogsled, boat and other frontier means. He gained many admirers, among whom was his colleague Hudson Stuck, Archdeacon of the Yukon. Stuck praised Rowe's dedication in his three books published to combat exploitation of the native peoples among whom they served.

Rowe died in Victoria, British Columbia on June 1, 1942.

References

• Thomas Jenkins, The Man of Alaska: Peter Trimble Rowe (New York: Morehouse-Gorham Co., 1943).
• Mushing Bishop, Time magazine, December 4, 1939.
• Photographs of Rowe, Alaska's Digital Archives