William P. Shannahan was a late 19th and early 20th century Catholic

Catholic

The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

 priest in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 who was the 3rd president of St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa

Davenport, Iowa

Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...

 from 1906 - 1915.

Biography

Shannahann, whose nickname was "Big Bill", was born in Wilton, Iowa

Wilton, Iowa

Wilton is a city in Cedar and Muscatine Counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 2,839 at the 2010 census. The Muscatine County portion of Wilton is part of the Muscatine Micropolitan Statistical Area....

 and raised in Williamsburg, Iowa

Williamsburg, Iowa

Williamsburg is a city in Iowa County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,622 at the 2000 census. Williamsburg is known for Holden's Foundation Seeds...

. He was the St. Ambrose football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 team's first captain, and graduated from the institution in 1896. He studied for the priesthood at St. Paul Seminary

Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity

The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity, located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, was founded by Archbishop John Ireland in 1894, to provide ordained priests for the ever-increasing Catholic population of the Upper Midwest. The seminary now sits on the south campus of the University of St. Thomas,...

 and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Davenport

Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport is a diocese of the Catholic Church for the southeastern quarter of the state of Iowa. There are within the diocese...

 on May 8, 1899 in St. Paul, Minnesota by Archbishop John Ireland

John Ireland (archbishop)

John Ireland was the third bishop and first archbishop of Saint Paul, Minnesota . He became both a religious as well as civic leader in Saint Paul during the turn of the century...

. After ordination he spent a year in graduate studies at The Catholic University of America

The Catholic University of America

The Catholic University of America is a private university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops...

 in Washington, DC.

Shannahan taught in the philosophy

Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...

 department before taking his role as the president. During his term, the second east wing of Ambrose Hall

Ambrose Hall (Davenport, Iowa)

Ambrose Hall, located in Davenport, Iowa, is the first building built on the campus of Saint Ambrose University. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.-History:...

 was built in 1908, which contained an auditorium, classrooms, and living quarters. After leaving St. Ambrose, Shannahan was named pastor

Pastor

The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....

 at St. Patrick’s Church in Iowa City where he served until he was appointed as the rector

Rector

The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...

 and pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral and vicar general

Vicar general

A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...

 of the diocese in 1932.

Bishop Henry Rohlman

Henry Rohlman

Henry Patrick Rohlman was a 20th century bishop in the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Davenport from 1927–1944 and as coadjutor archbishop and archbishop of the Archdiocese of Dubuque from 1944-1954.-Early Life & Ministry:Rohlman was born in...

 nominated Shannahan twice for Papal honors; the first time as a Domestic Prelate and the second time as a Protonotary Apostolic

Protonotary apostolic

In the Roman Catholic Church, protonotary apostolic is the title for a member of the highest non-episcopal college of prelates in the Roman Curia or, outside of Rome, an honorary prelate on whom the pope has conferred this title and its special privileges.-History:In later antiquity there were in...

. Both honors were bestowed by Pope Pius XI. In the 1930s he worked with Msgrs. Martin Cone

Martin Cone

Martin Cone was a Catholic priest in the United States and served as the 6th president of St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa from 1930-1937.-Biography:...

 and George Giglinger to develop a local radio program on WOC that featured Catholic topics. Msgr. Shannahan died on October 22, 1937 at the age of 67.