The Most Reverend Samuel Eccleston | |
|---|---|
| Fifth Archbishop of Baltimore | |
 | |
| See | Archdiocese of Baltimore |
| Appointed | March 11, 1834 (Coadjutor) |
| Installed | October 19, 1834 |
| Term ended | April 22, 1851 |
| Predecessor | James Whitfield |
| Successor | Francis Kenrick |
| Previous post(s) | Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Richmond (1835–1840) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | April 24, 1825 by Ambrose Maréchal |
| Consecration | September 14, 1834 by James Whitfield |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 27, 1801 |
| Died | May 22, 1851 (aged 49) Georgetown, Washington, D.C. |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
| Parents | Samuel Eccleston and Martha Hyson |
| Signature |  |
Samuel Eccleston, P.S.S. (June 27, 1801 – April 22, 1851) was an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Baltimore from 1834 until his death in 1851. He was a member of the Sulpicians.
A convert to Catholicism as a young man, Eccleston attended St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, was ordained to the priesthood and then entered the Sulpician Order. After attending seminary in France, he served as a teacher and later president of St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore. Eccleston was named Coadjutor Archbishop of Baltimore by the Vatican and then became Archbishop of Baltimore.
Eccleston is known for inviting several men's and women's Catholic religious orders into the archdiocese to establish seminaries, schools, and parishes for the rapidly expanding Catholic population. In recent years, he has been criticized for his efforts to disband an African-American religious community in the archdiocese.