John Hughes (archbishop)
John Joseph Hughes (June 24, 1797 – January 3, 1864) was a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. He was the fourth Bishop and first Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York, serving between 1842 and his death in 1864. In 1841, he founded St. John's College, which would later become Fordham University.
The Most Reverend John Hughes | |
|---|---|
| Archbishop of New York | |
Photo by Mathew Brady, c. 1860–1863 | |
| See | New York |
| Installed | December 20, 1842 |
| Term ended | January 3, 1864 |
| Predecessor | John Dubois |
| Successor | John McCloskey |
| Other post(s) | Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of New York and Titular Bishop of Basilinopolis (1838–1842); Priest of the Diocese of Philadelphia (1826–1838) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | October 15, 1826 by Henry Conwell |
| Consecration | January 7, 1838 by John Dubois |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 24, 1797 Annaloghan, County Tyrone, Ireland |
| Died | January 3, 1864 (aged 66) New York City, US |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
| Alma mater | Mount St. Mary's Seminary |
| Signature | |
A native of Ireland, Hughes was born and raised in Augher in the south of County Tyrone. He emigrated to the United States in 1817, and became a priest in 1826 and a bishop in 1838. A figure of national prominence, he exercised great moral and social influence, and presided over a period of explosive growth for Catholicism in New York. He was regarded as "the best known, if not exactly the best loved, Catholic bishop in the country." He became known as "Dagger John," both for his following the Catholic practice wherein a bishop precedes his signature with a cross, as well as for his aggressive personality.