The Most Reverend John Martin Henni |
|
---|---|
Archbishop of Milwaukee | |
See | Milwaukee |
Installed | November 28, 1843 |
Term ended | September 7, 1881 |
Predecessor | none |
Successor | Michael Heiss |
Orders | |
Ordination | February 2, 1829 |
Consecration | March 19, 1844 |
Personal details | |
Born |
Misanenga, Obersaxen, Graubünden, Switzerland |
June 15, 1805
Died | September 7, 1881 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States |
(aged 76)
Denomination | Roman Catholic Church |
John Martin Henni (June 15, 1805 – September 7, 1881) was a Swiss-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the first Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1843 until his death in 1881.
John Henni was born in the village of Misanenga, municipality of Obersaxen, in the canton of Graubünden, in Switzerland. He received his early education in St. Gallen and Lucerne, and was sent to study philosophy and theology in Rome in 1824. He accepted an invitation from Bishop Edward Fenwick to join the Diocese of Cincinnati in the United States. He arrived at Baltimore, Maryland, in 1829, and then completed his studies at the seminary in Bardstown, Kentucky.
Henni was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Fenwick on February 2, 1829. He was assigned to the spiritual care of the German Catholics of Cincinnati, and served as professor of philosophy at The Athenaeum in the same city. Shortly afterwards, he was transferred to Canton, Ohio and was also charged with several surrounding missions in Northern Ohio. From 1830 to 1834, Fr. Henni was in charge of St. John's Catholic church in Canton. In 1834, he returned to Cincinnati and was named pastor of Holy Trinity Church as well as vicar general of the diocese. He founded the Wahrheits-Freund in 1837, the first German Catholic newspaper in the United States, and served as its editor until 1843.