V. Gene Robinson was elected Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire on June 7, 2003, having served as Canon to the Ordinary (Assistant to the Bishop) for nearly 18 years. He was consecrated a Bishop on All Saints Sunday, November 2, 2003, and was invested as the Ninth Bishop of New Hampshire on March 7, 2004.

A 1969 graduate of the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee, he has a B.A. in American Studies/History. In 1973, he completed the M.Div. degree at the General Theological Seminary in New York, was ordained deacon, and then priest, serving as Curate at Christ Church, Ridgewood, New Jersey. Upon moving to New Hampshire in 1975, Gene co-owned and directed an ACA accredited horseback riding summer camp for girls. As Founding Director of Sign of the Dove Retreat Center, in Temple, New Hampshire, he led retreat programs for vestries, diocesan committees, intergenerational groups, and all kinds of parish groups.

From 1978 to 1985, Gene was Youth Ministries Coordinator for the seven dioceses of New England, serving two years on the National Youth Ministries Development Team, where he helped originate the national Episcopal Youth Event. From 1983 until his election as bishop, Gene also served as Executive Secretary of Province I, coordinating all cooperative programs between the seven dioceses of New England.

Clergy wellness has long been a focus of Gene's ministry, and in the nineties he developed the A Being Well in Christ conference model for The Cornerstone Project, and led clergy conferences in over 20 dioceses in the U.S. and Canada. He initiated A Fresh Start, a two-year mentoring program for all clergy in new positions in New Hampshire, and co-authored the Fresh Start curriculum, now in use in nearly half of the dioceses of the Episcopal Church. Much of his ministry has focused on helping congregations and clergy, especially in times of conflict, utilizing his skills in congregational dynamics, conflict resolution and mediation.

Co-author of three AIDS education curricula for youth and adults, Gene has done AIDS work in the United States and in Africa (Uganda and South Africa). He has been an advocate for anti-racism training in the diocese and wider Church. He helped build the Diocese of New Hampshire's close working partnership with the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, advocated for debt relief for the world's most impoverished nations, and lobbied for socially-responsible investment within and beyond the Church. He is a past member of the Board of the New Hampshire Endowment for Health, which works for access to health care for the uninsured. Bishop Robinson currently serves as a Trustee of the Church Pension Fund and a board member of the NH Children’s Alliance. He holds two honorary doctorates and has received numerous awards from national civil rights organizations. His story is featured in the 2007 feature-length documentary, For the Bible Tells Me So.

Gene enjoys entertaining and cooking, gardening, music and theatre. He is the father of two grown daughters and the proud grandfather of two granddaughters. He lives with his partner, Mark Andrew, who is employed by the State of New Hampshire's Department of Safety.

View our archives for information and images of the election, consecration and investiture.

Requests for interviews, high resolution photos.

Bishops of New Hampshire

Alexander Viets Griswold 1810-1843

Carlton Chase 1844-1870

William Woodruff Niles 1870-1914

Edward Melville Parker 1906-1925

John Thomas Dallas 1926-1948

Charles Francis Hall 1948-1973

Philip Alan Smith 1973-1986

Douglas Edwin Theuner 1986-2003

V. Gene Robinson 2003-

Episcopal Ring. A bishop wears a ring on the (traditionally) 4th finger of his right hand, emblematic of the marriage between Bishop and church. The ring was given to Gene by its previous wearer, the Rt. Rev. Philip A. Smith, retired Seventh Bishop of New Hampshire. On arrival it was discovered to be a perfect fit, with no re-sizing required.

Crozier. The crook carried by a bishop represents his symbolic role of shepherd. The one carried by Bishop Robinson is a Palestinian shepherd’s crook from the Holy Land, a gift from the Eighth Bishop of New Hampshire, the Rt. Rev. Douglas E. Theuner. The city of Jerusalem is represented in the decorative silver band.

Pectoral Cross. The pectoral cross regularly worn by Bishop Robinson belongs to the Diocese of New Hampshire. Shortly after the consecration, Mark Knipe, a Concord goldsmith, cast a cross from pieces of gold jewelry donated by the people of the diocese. The provenance and sentiment associated with these gifts were preserved in a scrapbook, which accompanied Bishop on his parish visitations at the start of his episcopate.

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