Bishop Carleton Hunt

Bishop Carleton Hunt, 85, passed away peacefully at his home on June 20, 2026.

Born October 22, 1940, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he was the son of the late Bishop Carleton Hunt, Sr., an economist at John Hancock, and the late Helen Allen Hunt, sister of the writer Hervey Allen and granddaughter of Col. Edward Jay Allen, the Oregon Trail pioneer.

Bishop was a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy and of Harvard University ('62 magna cum laude). He went on to study as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, where he received a B.Litt. degree. Bishop devoted his career to the study and teaching of English literature, first at Princeton University and later at the College of Charleston, specializing in the Romantic period. A recipient of the college's Distinguished Teaching Award, he retired in 2008 as Distinguished Professor Emeritus.

Beyond the classroom, Bishop found abiding joy in music and in high fidelity equipment. He also enjoyed building furniture, and, in his younger days, playing squash. During his years in Charleston, he served on the board of Miss Mason's School (now Mason Prep) and of the South Carolina Poetry Society. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Caroline (Collins); his daughter, Sarah Emily Hunt Woods; his son, Matthew Bishop Hunt; and his grandchildren, Laura Woods, Christopher Hunt, and Johanna Hunt. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Anna Hunt Brown.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Bishop's memory to the College of Charleston Library or to a charity of your choice. A celebration of Bishop's life will be held at a later date.