ðə kwˌɑːdɹɪlˈæɾɚɹəl hæd ɪts dʒˈɛnᵻsˌɪs ɪn æn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti ˈɛseɪ baɪ ðɪ ɐmˈɛɹɪkən ᵻpˈɪskɑːpəl pɹˈiːst wˈɪljəm ɹˈiːd hˈʌntɪŋtən, ænd wʌz əfˈɪʃəli ɐdˈɑːptᵻd baɪ ðə bˈɪʃəps ʌvðɪ ˈæŋɡlɪkən kəmjˈuːniən ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi ˈeɪt.
The quadrilateral had its genesis in an 1870 essay by the American Episcopal priest William Reed Huntington, and was officially adopted by the bishops of the Anglican Communion in 1888.