William Henry Elder
Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox Christian leader Template:Ordination William Henry Elder (March 22, 1819 – October 31, 1904) was an American Catholic prelate who served as bishop of Natchez in Mississippi from 1857 to 1880 and as archbishop of Cincinnati in Ohio from 1883 until his death in 1904.
Biography
Early life and education
William Elder was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 22, 1819.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> His father, Basil Elder, was a descendant of William Elder (1681–1714), a Catholic immigrant from England to the Province of Maryland in colonial times. His grandfather was Thomas Elder, husband of Elizabeth Spalding, thus making William a first cousin once removed of Catherine Spalding, co-founder of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. His mother was Elisabeth Miles (née Snowden) Elder.<ref name=Deasy/>
In 1831, Elder entered Mount St. Mary's College, in Emmitsburg, Maryland. He graduated in 1837 and entered the seminary. In 1842, he was sent to the Pontifical Urban College in Rome, where he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity.<ref name=Deasy>Deasy, Timothy. "William Henry Elder". The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. January 23, 2019</ref>
Priesthood
Elder was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Rome on March 29, 1846 by Cardinal Giovanni Brunelli.<ref name=":0" /> After his ordination, the archdiocese assigned Elder to teach at Mount St. Mary's.
Bishop of Natchez
Elder was appointed bishop of Natchez on January 9, 1857, by Pope Pius IX. Elder was consecrated in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Mary in Baltimore by Archbishop Francis Kenrick on May 3, 1857. At that time, the diocese comprised the entire state of Mississippi.<ref name=Deasy/>
In 1861, Mississippi seceded from the United States as part of the Confederate States of America. On the eve of the American Civil War, Elder wrote to his father:
It is hard to tell what is to be the fate of the country. I have not enough of political sagacity to see what will be the course of events, nor what would be the fruit of the remedies proposed. . . . We can all unite in praying to God to guide and protect us.<ref name="jackson">Template:Cite web</ref>
During the war, Elder celebrated mass for wounded soldiers and ministered to soldiers and freedmen gathered in Natchez. He sent priests to serve as chaplains in the Confederate States Army and Sisters of Mercy to nurse their sick and wounded He gave his blessing to a volunteer company of soldiers from Natchez..<ref>Vaughn, William. "William Henry Elder", Mississippi Encyclopedia, Center for Study of Southern Culture, April 14, 2018</ref>
In July 1863, the Union Army took control of Natchez. On June 18, 1864, Colonel B.G. Farrar, the Union Army commander at Natchez and former schoolmate of Elder's at Mount St. Mary's, ordered the clergy in Natchez to include prayers for US President Abraham Lincoln in their services. Farrar termed it as a "public recognition of allegiance under which they live, and to which they are indebted for protection..."<ref name=McPherson>McPherson, Edward. The Political History of the United States of America During the Great Rebellion, Philp & Solomons, 1865, Appendix p. 538</ref>
Elder refused to comply, saying that it had nothing to due with politics, but the "Liberty of the Church to discharge her divine functions, without interference form other persons."<ref name="McPherson" /> Brigadier General James Tuttle issued an order for enforcement, which he then stayed at Elder's request, pending input from the US War Department. Elder wrote to Lincoln, explaining that his refusal was based on the authority of the church to regulate church services. Senator Francis Kernan wrote back to Elder, saying he had met with Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton and Stanton would ask Tuttle not to interfere with Elder. Elder subsequently wrote thanking Stanton for protect to religious freedom, and asking that the ruling be made known to other commanders.<ref name="glimpses" />
General Mason Brayman, the next commander, took a harder stance, saying "...military orders are to be followed, not discussed..." and issued an order for Elder to be sent to jail in Vidalia, Louisiana. Elder was incarcerated in Vidalia several weeks. After Washington intervened, Brayman ordered Elder's release on August 12, 1864.<ref name="glimpses">Character Glimpses of Most Reverend William Henry Elder, D.D., published by Frederick Pustet & Company, New York and Cincinnati, 1911</ref>
In 1878, a yellow fever epidemic broke out in Natchez. Ministering to the sick, Elder caught the disease. He survived but lost six diocesan priests.<ref name="jackson" /> At the time he arrived in Natchez the diocese had eleven missions (churches), nine priests and 10,000 Catholics. When he left, there were forty-one churches, 25 priests, six religious houses for men, five convents, thirteen parish schools and 12,500 Catholics.
Coadjutor Archbishop and Archbishop of Cincinnati
On January 30, 1880, Pope Leo XIII appointed Elder as coadjutor archbishop of Cincinnati with the right of succession, to assist Archbishop John Purcell.<ref name=":0" />
After Purcell died on July 4, 1883, Elder automatically succeeded him archbishop. He became archbishop at a time of great financial difficulty in the archdiocese. Elder systematically organized the administration of the diocese. He reopened Mount Saint Mary Seminary in Cincinnati in 1887, which had been closed since 1879.<ref>Fortin, Roger Antonio. Faith and Action: A History of the Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati, 1821–1996, Ohio State University Press, 2002, p. 171, Template:ISBN</ref> He instituted the office of chancellor and insisted on annual financial reports from clergy and parishes in order to reduced the archdiocesan debt.
Death and legacy
Elder died in Cincinnati on October 31, 1904, from influenza. Elder High School, a Cincinnati parochial school, was named for Elder.
See also
References
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External links
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- Biography of William Henry Elder
- St. Mary Basilica Archives, Natchez, Mississippi Template:Webarchive
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- Civil War diary (1862–1865) of Bishop William Henry Elder, Bishop of Natchez
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Template:Roman Catholic Diocese of Jackson Template:Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati Template:Authority control
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- 1819 births
- 1904 deaths
- 19th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States
- 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States
- Roman Catholic archbishops of Cincinnati
- Deaths from influenza in the United Kingdom
- Infectious disease deaths in Ohio
- Religious leaders from Baltimore
- People from Natchez, Mississippi
- People of Mississippi in the American Civil War
- Religious leaders from Cincinnati
- Roman Catholic bishops of Jackson
- Catholics from Mississippi