Edward Joseph Hanna
Encyclopedia
Edward Joseph Hanna was an American
clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church
. He served as Archbishop of San Francisco
from 1915 to 1935.
, New York
, to Edward and Anne (née Clark) Hanna, who were Irish
immigrants. The eldest of six children, he had two brothers and three sisters, one of whom died in infancy. In 1867, at age seven, he began his education at Public School No. 2 in his native city. The following year, he was sent to St. Patrick's School. He entered Rochester Free Academy in 1875, and graduated as valedictorian
in 1879. He there befriended his fellow classmate, Walter Rauschenbusch
, a future Baptist
theologian and proponent of the Social Gospel
. He and Rauschenbusch were two of the nineteen founding brothers of Pi Phi Fraternity at the academy in 1878. At the commencement ceremony, he delivered a well-received oration on Irish political leader Daniel O'Connell
.
Deciding to embrace the ecclesiastical state, Hanna was sent by Bishop Bernard John McQuaid
to study at the Pontifical North American College
and the Urban College of Propaganda
. His professor at the Propaganda, Benedetto Lorenzelli
(a future cardinal
), selected him and fellow student Edward A. Pace
as the American representatives at a philosophical disputation before Pope Leo XIII
in 1882.
to the priesthood
by Archbishop Giulio Lenti at the Basilica of St. John Lateran
. Pope Leo XIII
was so impressed with his intellectual acumen that he conferred a Doctor of Sacred Theology
degree without the need for an oral examination in 1886.
He was a professor at St. Bernard's Seminary from 1893 to 1912. On October 22, 1912, he was named by Pope Pius X
auxiliary bishop
for the Archdiocese of San Francisco
and titular bishop
of Titiopolis. He was ordained to the episcopate on December 4, 1912.
on December 27, 1914. Pope Benedict XV
named Hanna the third Archbishop of San Francisco
on June 1, 1915.
Hanna had a close friendship with San Francisco Mayor James Rolph
, Jr. The archbishop and "Sunny Jim" were seen at many civic functions. Edward J. Hanna would support Rolph in his run for governor in 1930. Governor Rolph died in office June 2, 1934, nine mothes later, Hanna asked to retire.
As archbishop, Hanna was often tasked with helping resolve labor disputes. In 1921, he was named chairman of San Francisco's Wage Arbitration Boards; Hanna served on the boards through 1924. Governor James Rolph
appointed Hanna as the chairman of a state mediation board to resolve the 1933 cotton strike in Corcoran, California
. During the 1934 West Coast waterfront strike, President Franklin Roosevelt named Archbishop Hanna chairman of the National Longshoremen's Board. The board was tasked with resolving the strike by mediating between the International Longshoremen's Association
, the International Seamen’s Union, and their employers.
In 1923 his portrait was painted three-quarters seated by the Swiss-born American portrait painter Adolfo Müller-Ury
(1862-1947) shortly afterwards being exhibited at Gumps, in San Francisco. Its present whereabouts is unknown.
as the first chairman of the National Catholic Welfare Council
, a predecessor of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
, which was renamed the National Catholic Welfare Conference in 1922; he continued as chairman through his retirement in 1935. As chairman, he was responsible for coordinating the American bishops' lobbying efforts and response to the domestic and foreign policies of the government.
Archbishop Hanna retired March 2, 1935, due to ill health and advancing age. Pope Pius XI
appointed Hanna the titular Archbishop of Gortyna. He was succeeded as Archbishop of San Francisco by John Joseph Mitty
. Archbishop Hanna moved to Rome
after his retirement, where he died on July 10, 1944. Archbishop Hanna's body was returned to San Francisco in 1947. He is buried in the Archbishop's Crypt at Holy Cross Cemetery
in Colma, California
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He served as Archbishop of San Francisco
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northern California region of the United States. It covers the City and County of San Francisco and the Counties of Marin and San Mateo...
from 1915 to 1935.
Early life and education
Edward Hanna was born in RochesterRochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, to Edward and Anne (née Clark) Hanna, who were Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
immigrants. The eldest of six children, he had two brothers and three sisters, one of whom died in infancy. In 1867, at age seven, he began his education at Public School No. 2 in his native city. The following year, he was sent to St. Patrick's School. He entered Rochester Free Academy in 1875, and graduated as valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
in 1879. He there befriended his fellow classmate, Walter Rauschenbusch
Walter Rauschenbusch
Walter Rauschenbusch was a Christian theologian and Baptist minister. He was a key figure in the Social Gospel movement in the United States of America.-Evolution of Thought:...
, a future Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
theologian and proponent of the Social Gospel
Social Gospel
The Social Gospel movement is a Protestant Christian intellectual movement that was most prominent in the early 20th century United States and Canada...
. He and Rauschenbusch were two of the nineteen founding brothers of Pi Phi Fraternity at the academy in 1878. At the commencement ceremony, he delivered a well-received oration on Irish political leader Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell (6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847; often referred to as The Liberator, or The Emancipator, was an Irish political leader in the first half of the 19th century...
.
Deciding to embrace the ecclesiastical state, Hanna was sent by Bishop Bernard John McQuaid
Bernard John McQuaid
Bernard John McQuaid was an American Catholic priest, the first Bishop of Rochester, U.S.A. and the first president of Seton Hall University...
to study at the Pontifical North American College
Pontifical North American College
The Pontifical North American College is a Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy educating seminarians for the dioceses in the United States and providing a residence for American priests studying in Rome. It was founded in 1859 by Blessed Pope Pius IX and was granted pontifical...
and the Urban College of Propaganda
Pontifical Urbaniana University
The Pontifical Urbaniana University or Pontifical Urban University is a pontifical university under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.-History:...
. His professor at the Propaganda, Benedetto Lorenzelli
Benedetto Lorenzelli
Benedetto Lorenzelli was am Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Studies from 1914 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1907.-Biography:...
(a future cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
), selected him and fellow student Edward A. Pace
Edward A. Pace
Monsignor Edward A. Pace was a Roman Catholic priest of the Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida. He was the first native Floridian to be ordained a diocesan priest....
as the American representatives at a philosophical disputation before Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
in 1882.
Early ministry
On May 30, 1885, Hanna was ordainedHoly Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
to the priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
by Archbishop Giulio Lenti at the Basilica of St. John Lateran
Basilica of St. John Lateran
The Papal Archbasilica of St. John Lateran , commonly known as St. John Lateran's Archbasilica and St. John Lateran's Basilica, is the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome and the official ecclesiastical seat of the Bishop of Rome, who is the Pope...
. Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
was so impressed with his intellectual acumen that he conferred a Doctor of Sacred Theology
Doctor of Sacred Theology
The Doctor of Sacred Theology is the final theological degree in the pontifical university system of the Catholic Church....
degree without the need for an oral examination in 1886.
He was a professor at St. Bernard's Seminary from 1893 to 1912. On October 22, 1912, he was named by Pope Pius X
Pope Pius X
Pope Saint Pius X , born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto, was the 257th Pope of the Catholic Church, serving from 1903 to 1914. He was the first pope since Pope Pius V to be canonized. Pius X rejected modernist interpretations of Catholic doctrine, promoting traditional devotional practices and orthodox...
auxiliary bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
for the Archdiocese of San Francisco
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northern California region of the United States. It covers the City and County of San Francisco and the Counties of Marin and San Mateo...
and titular bishop
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 Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Titiopolis. He was ordained to the episcopate on December 4, 1912.
Archepiscopate
Following the death of Archbishop Patrick William RiordanPatrick William Riordan
Patrick William Riordan was a Canadian-born clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of San Francisco from 1884 until his death in 1914.-Early life and education:...
on December 27, 1914. Pope Benedict XV
Pope Benedict XV
Pope Benedict XV , born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, reigned as Pope from 3 September 1914 to 22 January 1922...
named Hanna the third Archbishop of San Francisco
Roman Catholic Archbishop of San Francisco
The Roman Catholic Archbishop of San Francisco is the Archbishop of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, the Roman Catholic Church in San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin counties in California, the United States...
on June 1, 1915.
Hanna had a close friendship with San Francisco Mayor James Rolph
James Rolph
James “Sunny Jim” Rolph, Jr. was an American politician and a member of the Republican Party. He was elected to a single term as the 27th governor of California from January 6, 1931 until his death on June 2, 1934 at the height of the Great Depression...
, Jr. The archbishop and "Sunny Jim" were seen at many civic functions. Edward J. Hanna would support Rolph in his run for governor in 1930. Governor Rolph died in office June 2, 1934, nine mothes later, Hanna asked to retire.
As archbishop, Hanna was often tasked with helping resolve labor disputes. In 1921, he was named chairman of San Francisco's Wage Arbitration Boards; Hanna served on the boards through 1924. Governor James Rolph
James Rolph
James “Sunny Jim” Rolph, Jr. was an American politician and a member of the Republican Party. He was elected to a single term as the 27th governor of California from January 6, 1931 until his death on June 2, 1934 at the height of the Great Depression...
appointed Hanna as the chairman of a state mediation board to resolve the 1933 cotton strike in Corcoran, California
Corcoran, California
Corcoran is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Corcoran is located south-southeast of Hanford, at an elevation of 207 feet . It is part of the Hanford–Corcoran, Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. During the 1934 West Coast waterfront strike, President Franklin Roosevelt named Archbishop Hanna chairman of the National Longshoremen's Board. The board was tasked with resolving the strike by mediating between the International Longshoremen's Association
International Longshoremen's Association
The International Longshoremen's Association is a labor union representing longshore workers along the East Coast of the United States and Canada, the Gulf Coast, the Great Lakes, Puerto Rico, and inland waterways...
, the International Seamen’s Union, and their employers.
In 1923 his portrait was painted three-quarters seated by the Swiss-born American portrait painter Adolfo Müller-Ury
Adolfo Müller-Ury
Adolfo Muller-Ury was a Swiss-born American portrait painter and impressionistic painter of roses and still life.-Heritage and early life in Switzerland:...
(1862-1947) shortly afterwards being exhibited at Gumps, in San Francisco. Its present whereabouts is unknown.
National Catholic Welfare Council
In 1919, Hanna was elected by the bishops of the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as the first chairman of the National Catholic Welfare Council
National Catholic Welfare Council
The National Catholic Welfare Council was the annual meeting of the American Catholic hierarchy and its standing secretariat; it was established in 1919 as the successor to the emergency organization, the National Catholic War Council....
, a predecessor of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops and United States Catholic Conference, it is composed of all active and retired members of the Catholic...
, which was renamed the National Catholic Welfare Conference in 1922; he continued as chairman through his retirement in 1935. As chairman, he was responsible for coordinating the American bishops' lobbying efforts and response to the domestic and foreign policies of the government.
Retirement and death
Archbishop Hanna retired March 2, 1935, due to ill health and advancing age. Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI
Pope Pius XI , born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was Pope from 6 February 1922, and sovereign of Vatican City from its creation as an independent state on 11 February 1929 until his death on 10 February 1939...
appointed Hanna the titular Archbishop of Gortyna. He was succeeded as Archbishop of San Francisco by John Joseph Mitty
John Joseph Mitty
John Joseph Mitty was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the third Bishop of Salt Lake City and the fourth Archbishop of San Francisco .-Early life and education:...
. Archbishop Hanna moved to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
after his retirement, where he died on July 10, 1944. Archbishop Hanna's body was returned to San Francisco in 1947. He is buried in the Archbishop's Crypt at Holy Cross Cemetery
Holy Cross Cemetery, Colma
Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Colma, California is an American Roman Catholic cemetery operated by the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Established in 1887 on of a former potato farm, it is the oldest and largest cemetery established in Colma to serve the needs of San Francisco...
in Colma, California
Colma, California
Colma is a small incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, at the northern end of the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 1,792 at the 2010 census. The town was founded as a necropolis in 1924....
.
Biography
- Gribble, Richard, CSC. An Archbishop for the People: The Life of Edward J. Hanna. Boston: Paulist Press, 2006. ISBN:0809144050