List of archbishops of New York
Archbishops of the Catholic Archdiocese of New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Archbishop of New York is the head of the Archdiocese of New York, who is responsible for looking after its spiritual and administrative needs. As the archdiocese is the metropolitan see of the Catholic ecclesiastical province encompassing nearly all of the state of New York,[1][2] the Archbishop of New York also administers the bishops who head the suffragan dioceses of Albany, Brooklyn, Buffalo, Ogdensburg, Rochester, Rockville Centre and Syracuse.[3] The current archbishop is Ronald Hicks.[4]
- R. Luke Concanen (bishop)
- John Hughes (archbishop)
- 1808 (bishopric)
- 1850 (archbishopric)
Archbishop of New York | |
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| Archbishopric | |
| catholic | |
Ronald Hicks, the Archbishop of New York since 2026 | |
 The coat of arms of the Archdiocese of New York | |
| Incumbent Ronald Hicks | |
| Information | |
| First holder |
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| Denomination | Catholic Church |
| Sui iuris church | Latin Church |
| Established |
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| Archdiocese | New York |
| Cathedral | St. Patrick's Cathedral |
| Website | |
| archny | |
The archdiocese began as the Diocese of New York, which was created on April 8, 1808.[5] R. Luke Concanen was appointed its first bishop; however, he was unable to leave the Italian Peninsula due to the Napoleonic Wars and died before he could set out for New York.[6][7] Under the reign of his successor, John Connolly, a canonical visitation of the diocese was conducted.[8] On account of the population increase due largely to Catholic immigrants from Ireland and Germany, the Holy See decided to elevate the diocese to the status of archdiocese on July 19, 1850.[5] John Hughes became the first archbishop of the newly-formed metropolitan see.[9][10] Because of the prominence of the position and the challenges that accompany it, Pope John Paul II described the office as "archbishop of the capital of the world."[11][12][A]
Eleven men have been Archbishop of New York; another three were bishop of its predecessor diocese. Of these, only one (John Dubois) was neither born in Ireland nor was second-generation Irish.[14][15] Eight archbishops were elevated to the College of Cardinals.[16] John McCloskey, the fifth ordinary of the archdiocese, was the first archbishop to be born in the United States, as well as the first born in what is now New York City.[17][18][B] When he was raised to cardinal in 1875, he became the first cardinal from America.[21][22] Francis Spellman had the longest tenure as Archbishop of New York, serving for 28 years from 1939 to 1967,[23] while Concanen held the position for 26 months (1808–1810), marking the shortest episcopacy.[7]
List of ordinaries
| ‡ | Denotes archbishop who was elevated to the College of Cardinals |
|---|---|
| OP | Dominican Order |
| PSS | Society of the Priests of Saint Sulpice |
Bishops of New York
| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1808 | 1810 | R. Luke Concanen, OP | Appointed on April 8, 1808. Died on June 19, 1810, having never visited the Diocese.[C] | [6] |
| 1814 | 1825 | John Connolly, OP | Appointed on October 4, 1814. Arrived in New York on November 24, 1815.[C] Died on February 6, 1825. | [25] |
| 1826 | 1842 | John Dubois, PSS | Appointed on May 23, 1826. Died on December 20, 1842. | [26] |
| 1842 | 1850 | John Hughes | Coadjutor bishop[D] from 1837 to 1842[E] | [9][10] |
Archbishops of New York
| From | Until | Incumbent | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 1864 | John Hughes | Became the first Archbishop of New York on July 19, 1850. Died on January 3, 1864. | [9][10] |
| 1864 | 1885 | John McCloskey‡ | Coadjutor archbishop from 1843 to 1847.[F] Translated to Albany on May 21, 1847. Appointed on May 6, 1864. First archbishop to be born in the United States and in New York City.[B] Elevated to cardinal on March 15, 1875. Died on October 10, 1885. | [17][18] |
| 1885 | 1902 | Michael Corrigan | Coadjutor archbishop from 1880 to 1885. Died on May 5, 1902. | [29] |
| 1902 | 1918 | John Murphy Farley‡ | Auxiliary bishop from 1895 to 1902. Elevated to cardinal on November 27, 1911. Died on September 17, 1918. | [30] |
| 1919 | 1938 | Patrick Joseph Hayes‡ | Auxiliary bishop from 1914 to 1917. Elevated to cardinal on March 24, 1924. Died on September 4, 1938. | [31][32] |
| 1939 | 1967 | Francis Spellman‡ | Appointed on April 15, 1939. Elevated to cardinal on February 18, 1946. Died on December 2, 1967. | [33] |
| 1968 | 1983 | Terence Cooke‡ | Auxiliary bishop from 1965 to 1968. Elevated to cardinal on April 28, 1969. Died on October 6, 1983. | [34][35] |
| 1984 | 2000 | John O'Connor‡ | Appointed on January 26, 1984. Elevated to cardinal on May 25, 1985. Died on May 3, 2000. | [36][G] |
| 2000 | 2009 | Edward Egan‡ | Auxiliary bishop from 1985 to 1988. Elevated to cardinal on February 21, 2001. Retired on February 23, 2009, after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75. Died on March 5, 2015. | [37] |
| 2009 | 2025 | Timothy M. Dolan‡ | Appointed on February 23, 2009. Elevated to cardinal on February 18, 2012. Retired on December 18, 2025, after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75. | [38][39] |
| 2026 | present | Ronald Hicks | Appointed on December 18, 2025.[H] | [39] |
R. Luke Concanen was the first Bishop of New York, but died before he could set foot in the Diocese.
John Dubois was the only non-Irish ordinary of New York.
John Hughes was the last Bishop of New York and its first archbishop.
John McCloskey became the first American cardinal in 1875.
Francis Spellman was Archbishop of New York for 28 years, serving from 1939 until his death in 1967.
Notes
- McCloskey was born in the City of Brooklyn in 1810.[19] It was consolidated with the existing City of New York (consisting of Manhattan and The Bronx), Queens County, and Staten Island in 1898 to form the City of Greater New York (i.e. New York City).[20]
- Between Concanen's death and Connolly's arrival, Fr. Anthony Kohlmann and Fr. Benedict Joseph Fenwick served as diocesan administrators.[24][25]
- Under the Code of Canon Law, the coadjutor bishop has the right of succession (cum jure successionis) upon the death, retirement or resignation of the diocesan bishop he is assisting.[27][28]
- Hughes was appointed coadjutor bishop on August 8, 1837, but only received episcopal consecration on January 7, 1838.
- McCloskey was appointed coadjutor archbishop on November 21, 1843, but only received episcopal consecration on March 10, 1844.
- The New York Times lists O'Connor's date of appointment as January 31, 1984.[36] The date used in the Notes column is from the Archdiocese.
