 Littell was elected Bishop of Hawaii on November 13, 1929 at a special meeting held by the House of Bishop in Washington, D.C..He was consecrated bishop in St Andrew's Cathedral in Honolulu by Hugh L. Burleson, the Bishop of South Dakota, on February 27, 1930.His co-consecrators included the Bishop of Tokyo John McKim and Henry Bond Restarick, former Bishop of Hawaii.