John Baptist Purcell

His Excellency, the Most Reverend John Baptist Purcell
Archbishop of Cincinnati
Archdiocese	Cincinnati
In office	1833-1883
Predecessor	Edward Fenwick O.P.
Successor	William Henry Elder
Other post(s)	Assistant to the Papal Throne
Orders
Ordination	May 26th, 1826 by Hyacinth-Louis de Quelen, COHS
Consecration	October 13th, 1833 by James Whitfield
Personal details
Born	February 26th, 1800 Mallow, County Cork, Ireland
Died	July 4th, 1883 (aged 83) Brown County, Ohio, USA
Buried	Saint Martin, Brown County, Ohio, USA [2]
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Signature

Styles of John Baptist Purcell
Reference style	The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Monsignor

John Baptist Purcell (February 26, 1800 – July 4, 1883^[1]) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Cincinnati from 1833 to his death in 1883, and he was elevated to the rank of archbishop in 1850. He formed the basis of Father Ferrand, the Ohio-based "Irish by birth, French by ancestry" character in the prologue of Willa Cather's historical novel Death Comes for the Archbishop who goes to Rome asking for a bishop for New Mexico Territory.