Howard, Francis W. (Francis William), 1867-1944

Francis William Howard was born in Columbus, Ohio, on 21 June 1867, the fifth of seven children of Francis Howard and Catherine O'Sullivan, both of whom were natives of Ireland. He attended St. Patrick Elementary School and entered St. Joseph Academy in Columbus in 1881. He went to the Seminary of Our Lady of the Angels at Niagara, New York, in 1884 and returned to Mount St. Mary Seminary in Cincinnati in 1888. He was ordained a priest on 16 June 1891. He served in a number of Ohio parishes and became active in diocesan and national educational organization. He served as pastor of Holy Rosary Church in Columbus from 1906 until his appointment on 26 March 1923 as the first Bishop of Covington, Kentucky. He also served the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) in several capacities: Secretary from 1904 to 1928, President from 1928 to 1936, and Chairman of the Advisory board until his death on 18 January 1944.