List of Roman Catholic archbishops of New York

The Archbishop of New York is the head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, who is responsible for looking after its spiritual and administrative needs. As the archdiocese is the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province encompassing nearly all of the state of New York,[1][2] the Archbishop of New York also administers the bishops who head the suffragan dioceses of Albany, Brooklyn, Buffalo, Ogdensburg, Rochester, Rockville Centre and Syracuse.[3] The current archbishop is Timothy M. Dolan.

Archbishop of New York
Archbishopric
catholic
Timothy M. Dolan, the Archbishop of New York since 2009
The coat of arms of the Archdiocese of New York
Incumbent: Timothy M. Dolan
Information
First holder	R. Luke Concanen (bishop) John Hughes (archbishop)
Established	1808 (bishopric) 1850 (archbishopric)
Archdiocese	New York
Cathedral	St. Patrick's Cathedral
Website
https://archny.org/

The archdiocese began as the Diocese of New York, which was created on April 8, 1808.[4] R. Luke Concanen was appointed its first bishop; however, he was unable to leave the Italian Peninsula due to the Napoleonic Wars and died before he could set out for New York.[5][6] Under the reign of his successor, John Connolly, a canonical visitation of the diocese was conducted.[7] On account of the population increase due largely to Catholic immigrants from Ireland and Germany, the Holy See decided to elevate the diocese to the status of archdiocese on July 19, 1850.[4] John Hughes became the first archbishop of the newly-formed metropolitan see.[8][9] Because of the prominence of the position and the challenges that accompany it, Pope John Paul II described the office as "archbishop of the capital of the world."[10][11][upper-alpha 1]

Ten men have been Archbishop of New York; another three were bishop of its predecessor diocese. Of these, only one (John Dubois) was neither born in Ireland nor was second-generation Irish.[13][14] Eight archbishops were elevated to the College of Cardinals.[15] John McCloskey, the fifth ordinary of the archdiocese, was the first archbishop to be born in the United States, as well as the first born in what is now New York City.[16][17][upper-alpha 2] When he was raised to cardinal in 1875, he became the first cardinal from America.[20][21] Francis Spellman had the longest tenure as Archbishop of New York, serving for 28 years from 1939 to 1967,[22] while Concanen held the position for 26 months (1808–1810), marking the shortest episcopacy.[6]

List of ordinaries

R. Luke Concanen was the first Bishop of New York, but died before he could set foot in the Diocese.

John Hughes was the last Bishop of New York and its first archbishop.

John McCloskey became the first American cardinal in 1875.

Key

	Denotes archbishop who was elevated to the College of Cardinals
OP	Dominican Order
PSS	Society of the Priests of Saint Sulpice

Bishops of New York

Bishops

From	Until	Incumbent	Notes	Ref(s)
1808	1810	R. Luke Concanen, OP	Appointed on April 8, 1808. Died on June 19, 1810, having never visited the Diocese.[upper-alpha 3]	[5]
1814	1825	John Connolly, OP	Appointed on October 4, 1814. Arrived in New York on November 24, 1815.[upper-alpha 3] Died on February 6, 1825.	[24]
1826	1842	John Dubois, PSS	Appointed on May 23, 1826. Died on December 20, 1842.	[25]
1842	1850	John Hughes	Coadjutor bishop[upper-alpha 4] from 1837 to 1842[upper-alpha 5]	[8][9]

Archbishops of New York

Archbishops

From	Until	Incumbent	Notes	Ref(s)
1850	1864	John Hughes	Became the first Archbishop of New York on July 19, 1850. Died on January 3, 1864.	[8][9]
1864	1885	John McCloskey	Coadjutor archbishop from 1843 to 1847.[upper-alpha 6] Translated to Albany on May 21, 1847. Appointed on May 6, 1864. First archbishop to be born in the United States and in New York City.[upper-alpha 2] Elevated to cardinal on March 15, 1875. Died on October 10, 1885.	[16][17]
1885	1902	Michael Corrigan	Coadjutor archbishop from 1880 to 1885. Died on May 5, 1902.	[28]
1902	1918	John Murphy Farley	Auxiliary bishop from 1895 to 1902. Elevated to cardinal on November 27, 1911. Died on September 17, 1918.	[29]
1919	1938	Patrick Joseph Hayes	Auxiliary bishop from 1914 to 1917. Elevated to cardinal on March 24, 1924. Died on September 4, 1938.	[30][31]
1939	1967	Francis Spellman	Appointed on April 15, 1939. Elevated to cardinal on February 18, 1946. Died on December 2, 1967.	[32]
1968	1983	Terence Cooke	Auxiliary bishop from 1965 to 1968. Elevated to cardinal on April 28, 1969. Died on October 6, 1983.	[33][34]
1984	2000	John O'Connor	Appointed on January 26, 1984. Elevated to cardinal on May 25, 1985. Died on May 3, 2000.	[35][upper-alpha 7]
2000	2009	Edward Egan	Auxiliary bishop from 1985 to 1988. Elevated to cardinal on February 21, 2001. Retired on February 23, 2009, after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75. Died on March 5, 2015.	[36]
2009	present	Timothy M. Dolan	Appointed on February 23, 2009. Elevated to cardinal on February 18, 2012.	[37]

Notes

1. This has been alternatively quoted as "archbishop of the most powerful country in the world."[12][13]
2. McCloskey was born in the City of Brooklyn in 1810.[18] It was consolidated with the existing City of New York (consisting of Manhattan and The Bronx), Queens County, and Staten Island in 1898 to form the City of Greater New York (i.e. New York City).[19]
3. Between Concanen's death and Connolly's arrival, Fr. Anthony Kohlmann and Fr. Benedict Joseph Fenwick served as diocesan administrators.[23][24]
4. Under the Code of Canon Law, the coadjutor bishop has the right of succession (cum jure successionis) upon the death, retirement or resignation of the diocesan bishop he is assisting.[26][27]
5. Hughes was appointed coadjutor bishop on August 8, 1837, but only received episcopal consecration on January 7, 1838.
6. McCloskey was appointed coadjutor archbishop on November 21, 1843, but only received episcopal consecration on March 10, 1844.
7. The New York Times lists O'Connor's date of appointment as January 31, 1984.[35] The date used in the Notes column is from the Archdiocese.

References

General

• "Booklet for Solemn Vespers Celebrating the Reception of the Archbishop-designate in the Cathedral Church" (PDF). Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. pp. 26–27. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2020. (Full list of bishops and archbishops of New York)

Specific

1. O'Callaghan, Joseph (March 9, 2007). Electing Our Bishops: How the Catholic Church Should Choose Its Leaders. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 30. ISBN 9780742577923.
2. Civiletti, Denise (August 10, 2017). "Like a journey back in time: A visit to Fishers Island, population 230". Southold Local. Archived from the original on July 5, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
3. "Bishops and Dioceses". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Archived from the original on June 22, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
4. "The Archdiocese – History". The New York Times. February 1, 1984. p. B5. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
5. Marlin & Miner 2017, pp. 16–17.
6. Jackson, Kenneth T.; Keller, Lisa; Flood, Nancy, eds. (December 1, 2010). The Encyclopedia of New York City (2nd ed.). Yale University Press. p. 216. ISBN 9780300114652.
7. Mooney, Joseph (1911). "Archdiocese of New York". Catholic Encyclopedia. 11. Robert Appleton Company. Archived from the original on July 21, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
8. Hayes, Patrick (1911). "John Hughes". Catholic Encyclopedia. 11. Robert Appleton Company. Archived from the original on July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
9. "John Hughes". Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. June 20, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
10. Goodstein, Laurie (December 3, 2009). "Archbishop Timothy Dolan named archbishop of New York". The New York Times. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
11. "Vatican names next archbishop of New York". NBC News. Associated Press. February 23, 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
12. Buck, Rinker (May 12, 2000). "Power, Glory, Scrutiny for Egan". Hartford Courant. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
13. Schemo, Diana Jean (February 12, 2000). "Hard-Fought Legacy of Catholic Power – Next Archbishop Will Inherit a History as Scrappy as New York". The New York Times. p. B1. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
14. Roberts, Sam (March 9, 2017). "New York's Archbishops: How They Shaped the City and the Church". The New York Times. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
15. Marlin & Miner 2017, p. xii.
16. Marlin & Miner 2017, p. 83.
17. Brown, Mary Elizabeth (March 9, 2007). "The Archdiocese of New York before the Great Italian Migration". Churches, Communities, and Children: Italian Immigrants in the Archdiocese of New York, 1880–1945. Center for Migration Studies Special Issues. 12. Center for Migration Studies. p. 10. doi:10.1111/cms3.1995.12.issue-1. ISBN 9780934733564.
18. Marlin & Miner 2017, p. 84.
19. Kocieniewski, David (May 29, 2009). "New York: Metropolis Born of a Merger". The New York Times. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
20. Kenny, Kevin (July 22, 2014). The American Irish: A History. Routledge. p. 151. ISBN 9781317889151.
21. Eisenstadt, Peter, ed. (May 19, 2005). Encyclopedia of New York State. Syracuse University Press. p. 786. ISBN 9780815608080.
22. White, Christopher (February 12, 2019). "New York archdiocese taking Spellman accusation 'seriously'". Crux. Archived from the original on July 5, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
23. Clarke 1872, p. 385.
24. Onofrio, Jan (January 1, 1999). Maryland Biographical Dictionary. Somerset Publishers, Inc. p. 208. ISBN 9780403098231.
25. Marlin & Miner 2017, pp. 31–33.
26. Van Hove, A. (1913). "Bishop". In Charles George Herbermann (ed.). The Original Catholic Encyclopedia. 2. Robert Appleton Company. p. 581. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
27. Agnew, Paddy; McGarry, Patsy (May 5, 2012). "Vatican may appoint bishop to aid Brady". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on May 6, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
28. Watson & Halus Jr. 2014, pp. 184–185.
29. "Cardinal a Leader of Loyal Americans". The New York Times. September 18, 1918. p. 13. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
30. "Cardinal Hayes Dies at 70 In Sleep at Country Home". The New York Times. September 5, 1938. p. 1. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
31. "Patrick Joseph Hayes". Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. November 16, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
32. "Francis J. Spellman: His Church Career Spanned Half a Century, in Which He Rose to Pre-eminence". The New York Times. December 3, 1967. p. 82. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
33. Watson & Halus Jr. 2014, pp. 183–184.
34. "Cardinal Cooke Dies at 62 After Fight with Leukemia". The New York Times. October 7, 1983. p. A1. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
35. Steinfels, Peter (May 4, 2000). "Death of a Cardinal – Cardinal O'Connor, 80, Dies; Forceful Voice for Vatican". The New York Times. p. A1. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
36. "Egan Card. Edward Michael". Holy See Press Office. Holy See. Archived from the original on July 5, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
37. "Dolan Card. Timothy Michael". Holy See Press Office. Holy See. Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2020.

Bibliography

• Clarke, Richard H. (1872). "Rt. Rev. Benedict Joseph Fenwick, D.D.". Lives of the Deceased Bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States. 1. New York: P. O'Shea. pp. 374–413. OCLC 809578529. Retrieved May 28, 2020 – via Internet Archive.
• Marlin, George J.; Miner, Brad (February 15, 2017). Sons of Saint Patrick: A History of the Archbishops of New York, from Dagger John to Timmytown. Ignatius Press. ISBN 9781621641131.
• Watson, William E.; Halus Jr., Eugene J., eds. (November 25, 2014). Irish Americans: The History and Culture of a People: The History and Culture of a People. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781610694674.