One of the earliest American believers, he was born on 15 May 1874 in Burlington, Vermont. A well-known and distinguished architect by profession, he accepted the Faith in Paris on 31 December 1899. He was declared a Covenant breaker following his absurd claim to be the second Guardian of the Baha'i Faith.
He received much love and praise from both 'Abdu'l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi and gave sterling service to the Faith of Baha'u'llah in the United States and Hawaii, as well as making teaching visits to several countries including, notably, Japan. In November 1950, Shoghi Effendi appointed him to the newly formed International Baha'i Council and called him to live in Haifa. He was elevated to the rank of Hand of the Cause of God in the first contingent in December 1951 and then appointed president of the International Baha'i Council. He was among the Hands of the Cause present at all the 1953 (Intercontinental) International Teaching Conferences and represented the Guardian at the conference in New Delhi. He was subsequently appointed as the Guardian's representative at the conference in Sydney, Australia, in March 1958 and was present at the conference in Wilmette in May of that same year.
His architectural achievements with the Baha'i community are truly significant. Under close guidance from Shoghi Effendi, he designed the Baha'i Houses of Worship (Mashriqu'l-Adhkar) for Kampala, Uganda, and Sydney, Australia. Moreover, Shoghi Effendi approved the design submitted by him for the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar of Baha'u'llah's native land, as well as the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar to be constructed on Mount Carmel; Remey's designs for a number of other Mashriqu'l-Adhkars were also considered (including the Mother Temple of the West (Wilmette, Illinois). When his design for the Wilmette Temple tied with that of Louis Bourgeois, he withdrew it in favor of Bourgeois's and Europe (in Frankfurt, where it was left to the National Spiritual Assembly of Germany to decide between Remey's and that of the German architect, Teuto Rocholl, with Rocholl's winning out). In addition, he designed the International Baha'i Archives building on the Arc on Mount Carmel.
Despite these distinguished services and his obvious knowledge of the teachings of the Faith and the Covenant of Baha'u'llah, he will be remembered in Baha'i history as one who fell from the highest rank to that of a Covenant breaker, shunned by all but a mere handful of his one-time fellow believers when he laid claim to be the second Guardian of the Faith and, in so doing, precipitated his own expulsion from the ranks of the faithful. He was declared a Covenant breaker on 26 July 1960. About 15 Baha'is initially followed Remey and were accordingly themselves declared Covenant breakers. Perhaps predictably, Remey died alone and isolated, in his 100th year, all of his erstwhile followers having long since deserted him or been expelled by him for their breaches of his (Remey's) covenant. He was buried by his young secretary, who was not a Baha'i, without religious ceremony. A day after his passing on 4 February 1974, the Universal House of Justice noted the occasion with the following cablegram: "Charles Mason Remey Whose Arrogant Attempt Usurp Guardianship After Passing Shoghi Effendi Led To His Expulsion From Ranks Faithful Has Died In Florence Italy In Hundredth Year Of His Life Without Religious Rite Abandoned By Erstwhile Followers." (‘Historical Dictionary of the Baha’i Faith’ by Hugh Adamson)