Patrick J. Ryan | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Official_portrait_of_Chaplain_(Major_General)_Patrick_J._Ryan.jpg) Portrait of Chaplain Major General Ryan, c. 1956 | |
| Birth name | Patrick James Ryan |
| Born | December 3, 1902 Manannah, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | June 5, 1978 (aged 75) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Buried | Calvary Cemetery, Litchfield, Minnesota |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1928–1958 |
| Rank | Major general |
| Service number | 0-17363 |
| Commands | U.S. Army Chaplain Corps (CCH) |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | |
| Alma mater | |
| Church | Catholic (Latin Church) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1927 (priesthood) by Austin Dowling |
| Rank |
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Patrick James Ryan (December 3, 1902 – June 5, 1978) was an American major general and Catholic priest who served as the 9th Chief of Chaplains of the United States Army from 1954 to 1958. Only briefly serving in a parish after his ordination for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul in 1927, he entered the Army Reserve as a chaplain in 1928. During World War II he served in North Africa and Italy where he earned numerous awards, including the Order of the British Empire. After the war, he held various roles at the Pentagon and at the Sixth Army in San Francisco before becoming Chief of Chaplains in 1954. At the time of his appointment he was the youngest man to ever hold the role, at 51 years old.