John Bertram Peterson (July 15, 1871 – March 15, 1944) was an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

of the

Roman 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 Manchester in New Hampshire from 1932 until his death in 1944. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston in Massachusetts from 1927 to 1932

Biography

Early life

John Peterson was born in Salem,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

, to a

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

n sea captain and an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

mother. He attended a

commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

and then worked at

Pope Manufacturing Company Pope Manufacturing Company was founded by Albert Augustus Pope around 1876 in Boston, Massachusetts, US and incorporated in Hartford, Connecticut in 1877. Manufacturing of bicycles began in 1878 in Hartford at the Weed Sewing Machine Company fact ...

; he also served as a

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as p ...

reporter. After deciding to join the priesthood, Peterson entered Marist College in

Van Buren, Maine Van Buren is a town on the Saint John River in Aroostook County, Maine, United States; located across from Saint-Leonard, New Brunswick, Canada. The population was 2,038 at the 2020 census. It is named after U.S. President Martin Van Buren. G ...

. He then studied at Saint Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire from 1893 to 1895 and then entered St. John's Seminary in Boston.

Priesthood

Peterson was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

a priest for the Archdiocese of Boston by Auxiliary Bishop John Brady on September 15, 1899. After two years studying church history in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

and

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 ...

, Peterson returned to Boston. Peterson was appointed as a faculty member in 1911 at St. John's Seminary, teaching economics. He was later appointed rector, staying at the seminary until 1926.

Auxiliary Bishop of Boston

On October 7, 1927, Peterson was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston and

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox ...

of ''Hippos'' by Pope Pius XI. He received his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

on November 10, 1927, from Cardinal

William Henry O'Connell William Henry O'Connell (December 8, 1859 – April 22, 1944) was an American cardinal of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Boston from 1907 until his death in 1944, and was made a cardinal in 1911. Early life William O'Connell w ...

, with Bishops George Albert Guertin and

John Gregory Murray John Gregory Murray (February 26, 1877 – October 11, 1956) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul in Minnesota from 1931 until his death in 1956. Murray previously se ...

serving as co-consecrators. During his time as auxiliary bishop, he also served as

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

of St. Catherine of Genoa Parish in

Somerville, Massachusetts Somerville ( ) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total population of 81,045 people. With an area o ...

. While in Somerville, Peterson gained a reputation as a good administrator and educator. He also held several diocesan positions during this period.In 1930, U.S. President

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...

appointed Peterson to a national commission to survey education in the United States.

Bishop of Manchester

Peterson was named the fourth

Bishop of Manchester The Bishop of Manchester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Manchester in the Province of York.'' Crockford's Clerical Directory 2008/2009 (100th edition)'', Church House Publishing (). The current bishop is David Walker w ...

by Pius XI on May 13, 1932. He was installed by Cardinal O'Connor at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Manchester on July 14, 1932. New Hampshire Governor

John Winant John Gilbert Winant (February 23, 1889 – November 3, 1947) was an American diplomat and politician with the Republican party after a brief career as a teacher in Concord, New Hampshire. John Winant held positions in New Hampshire, national, an ...

attended the installation, along with 600 priests from

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...

and several hundred parishioners from St. Catherine of Genoa Parish in Massachusetts. A major area of tension in the diocese came from ethnic strife between the Irish and French-Canadian communities. A French speaker, Peterson told a Manchester dinner audience in 1932 that he condemned all religious and ethnic hatred and would not support any cause based in hatred. He was able to gain the trust of French Canadian Catholics in the diocese with his words and actions. In March 5, 1933, in the middle of the national bank run after the

stock market crash of 1929 The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange colla ...

, Peterson reassured parishioners that the banks would survive. In May 1933, Peterson settled a contentious labor strike in Manchester between the Amoskeag Company and its 7,400 unionized mill workers. The union called a walkout when company management tried to lower wages by 40%. The

New Hampshire National Guard The New Hampshire National Guard is the militia of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As a state militia, units in the New Hampshire National Guard are under the jurisdiction of the Governor of New Hampshire through the office of the state adjut ...

had been deployed to the city and had clashed with the strikers. After canvassing many union members, Peterson went to the company management and successfully negotiated a 15 cent per hour wage increase, settling the strike. In April 1934, in the midst of the Great Depression, Peterson enacted austerity spending measures for the diocese. He was a member of a New Hampshire delegation that traveled to Washington D.C. in March and April 1935 to lobby the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...

for help for the

textile industry The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of yarn, cloth and clothing. The raw material may be natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry. Industry process Cotton manufacturi ...

in New Hampshire. That same year, Pius XI appointed Peterson as an attendant to the papal throne and a county of the

Vatican city state Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...

. In 1936, Peterson was named as president general of the

National Catholic Education Association The National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) is a private, professional educational membership association of over 150,000 educators in Catholic schools, universities, and religious education programs. It is the largest such organization ...

, serving in that role until 1946. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Peterson urged parishes and parishioners to invest in war stamps and

war bonds War bonds (sometimes referred to as Victory bonds, particularly in propaganda) are debt securities issued by a government to finance military operations and other expenditure in times of war without raising taxes to an unpopular level. They are a ...

. The diocese opened a

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

center for servicemen and women in Manchester, and he urged parishioners to support the organization with donations.

Death

Peterson died on March 15, 1944, at age 72 in Manchester. One of his former students at St. John's was the future Cardinal

Richard Cushing Richard James Cushing (August 24, 1895 – November 2, 1970) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Boston from 1944 to 1970 and was made a cardinal in 1958. Cushing's main role was as fundraiser and builder ...

, who delivered the eulogy at Peterson's funeral. According to Cushman, Peterson would tell his students, "Take your priesthood seriously, never yourself."Dever, Joseph. ''Cushing of Boston''
Branden Books, 1975 , p. 39 Peterson was buried in the crypt at the Cathedral of St. Joseph.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peterson, John Bertram 1871 births 1944 deaths Saint Anselm College alumni Saint John's Seminary (Massachusetts) alumni People from Salem, Massachusetts Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston Roman Catholic bishops of Manchester 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Religious leaders from Massachusetts Catholics from Massachusetts