William Henry Elder (March 22, 1819 – October 31, 1904) was an American prelate of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. He served as bishop of the
Diocese of Natchez in Mississippi from 1857 to 1880 and as archbishop of the
Archdiocese of Cincinnati
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati ( la, Archidiœcesis Cincinnatensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese that covers the southwest region of the U.S. state of Ohio, including the greater Cincinnati and Dayton metropolitan ...
in Ohio between 1883 and his death.
Biography
Early life and education
William Elder was born in
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, on March 22, 1819. His father, Basil Elder, was a descendant of William Elder (1681–1714), a Catholic immigrant from
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
to Maryland (United States) in
colonial times
The ''Colonial Times'' was a newspaper in what is now the Australian state of Tasmania. It was established as the ''Colonial Times, and Tasmanian Advertiser'' in 1825 in Hobart, Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land was the colon ...
. 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
The Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth (SCN) is a Roman Catholic order of nuns. It was founded in 1812 near Bardstown, Kentucky, when three young women responded to Bishop John Baptist Mary David's call for assistance in ministe ...
. His mother was Elisabeth Miles (née Snowden) Elder.
[
In 1831 Elder entered ]Mount St. Mary's College
Mount Saint Mary's University, Los Angeles (known as Mount St. Mary's College until January 2015) is a private, Catholic university primarily for women, in Los Angeles, California. Women make up ninety percent of the student body.
It was found ...
, in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Elder 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.[Deasy, Timothy]
"William Henry Elder"
''The Catholic Encyclopedia'' Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. January 23, 2019 Elder was ordained a priest in Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
on March 29, 1846. He became professor at the seminary at Emmitsburg, Maryland.
Bishop of Natchez
Elder was appointed on January 9, 1857, by Pope Pius IX to succeed James Oliver Van de Velde as bishop of the Diocese of Natchez. He was consecrated in the cathedral of Baltimore by Archbishop Francis Kenrick
Francis Patrick Kenrick (December 3, 1796 or 1797 – July 8, 1863) was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the third Bishop of the Diocese of Philadelphia (1842–1851) and the sixth Archbishop of the Archdiocese o ...
on May 3, 1857. The diocese comprised the entire state of Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
.[
On the eve of the ]American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
, 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.["Bishop William Henry Elder", Roman Catholic Diocese of Jackson]
/ref>
Elder celebrated Mass for the wounded and ministered to soldiers and freedmen gathered in Natchez. He sent priests to serve as chaplains in the Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
and Sisters of Mercy to nurse the sick and wounded, and he gave his blessing to a Natchez volunteer company.
During the Union occupation of Natchez, Elder caused some controversy for refusing to obey an order to have prayers for the President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...
recited publicly in the churches of his diocese. On June 18, 1864, Colonel B.G. Farrar, commander at Natchez, and former schoolmate of Elder's at Mt. St. Mary's, issued an order requiring the clergy to include prayers for the President of the United States in their services, as a "public recognition of allegiance under which they live, and to which they are indebted for protection..."[McPherson, Edward. ''The Political History of the United States of America During the Great Rebellion'', Philp & Solomons, 1865, Appendix p. 538] Elder responded with a lengthy letter of protest in which he explained that his declining to submit had no political significance, but the "Liberty of the Church to discharge her divine functions, without interference form other persons."[ Brigadier General James Tuttle issued an order for enforcement, which was stayed at Elder's request, pending input from the ]War Department War Department may refer to:
* War Department (United Kingdom)
* United States Department of War (1789–1947)
See also
* War Office, a former department of the British Government
* Ministry of defence
* Ministry of War
* Ministry of Defence
* D ...
.Elder wrote to President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
explaining that his refusal was based on the authority of the church to regulate church services. Senator Francis Kernan responded, saying he had met with Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton
Edwin McMasters Stanton (December 19, 1814December 24, 1869) was an American lawyer and politician who served as U.S. Secretary of War under the Lincoln Administration during most of the American Civil War. Stanton's management helped organize ...
and Stanton indicated that he would communicate to Tuttle to remedy the situation so there would be no further interference. Elder subsequently wrote thanking Stanton for the protection extended to religious freedom, and asking that the ruling be made known to other commanders.[
When Colonel Farrar was placed in command of Natchez, he noted Tuttle's order had neither been rescinded nor was being obeyed. 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
Vidalia is the largest city and the parish seat of Concordia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 4,299 as of the 2010 census.
Vidalia is located on the west bank of the Mississippi River.
The city of Natchez, Mississippi, lie ...
. Federal troops took Elder to Vidalia for a few weeks. After Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
officials intervened, Brayman ordered the release of Elder on August 12, 1864.[''Character Glimpses of Most Reverend William Henry Elder, D.D.'', published by Frederick Pustet & Company, New York and Cincinnati, 1911]
During his time in Natchez, a yellow fever
Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. ...
epidemic broke out in 1878. Ministering to the sick, Elder caught the disease. He survived but lost six diocesan priests.[ 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.
]
Archbishop of Cincinnati
On January 30, 1880, Elder was appointed coadjutor archbishop The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence.
These include:
* Coad ...
with the right of succession, to Archbishop John Purcell, for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Elder automatically succeeded on July 4, 1883. 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 1887, which had been closed since 1879.[Fortin, Roger Antonio]
''Faith and Action: A History of the Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati, 1821-1996''
Ohio State University Press, 2002, p. 171, He instituted the office of chancellor of the diocese and insisted on annual reports from clergy and parishes in order to bring the diocese out of great debt.
Death and legacy
Elder died in Cincinnati on October 31, 1904, from influenza. He is buried at St. Joseph Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...
. Elder High School
, motto_translation = Strive for the higher things
, streetaddress = 3900 Vincent Avenue
, region = Price Hill
, city = Cincinnati
, county =
, state ...
, a Cincinnati parochial school, was named for Elder.
See also
*Archdiocese of Cincinnati
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati ( la, Archidiœcesis Cincinnatensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese that covers the southwest region of the U.S. state of Ohio, including the greater Cincinnati and Dayton metropolitan ...
References
External links
Biography of William Henry Elder
*
Civil War diary (1862-1865) of Bishop William Henry Elder, Bishop of Natchez
Episcopal succession
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elder, William Henry
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
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 Diocese of Jackson
Catholics from Mississippi