William Quarter
| The Right Reverend William J. Quarter |
|
|---|---|
| Bishop of Chicago | |
 |
|
| Church | Roman Catholic Church |
| Diocese | Chicago |
| See | Chicago |
| In office | March 10, 1844 – April 10, 1848 |
| Predecessor | None |
| Successor | James Oliver Van de Velde, S.J. |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | September 19, 1829 by = John Dubois |
| Consecration | March 10, 1844 by John Joseph Hughes |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
January 21, 1806 Killurin, County Offaly, Ireland |
| Died | April 10, 1848 (aged 42) Chicago, Illinois, United States |
William J. Quarter (January 21, 1806 – April 10, 1848) was an Irish American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the first Bishop of Chicago (1844–1848).
William Quarter was born in Killurin, King's County, Ireland to Michael and Ann (née Bennet) Quarter. The third of four sons, he had three brothers: John, Walter and James; Walter and James also joined the priesthood, but the latter died before his ordination. He studied the classics at private academies in Tullamore from 1814 to 1822.
While preparing to enter Maynooth College, Quarter was visited by a priest who had served as a missionary in the United States. The young man was moved by the priest's stories of the dreadful plight of Catholics in America (many of whom were without priests, churches, or the sacraments), and resolved to dedicate himself to the missions there. Having obtained permission from Bishop James Warren Doyle, Quarter departed from Ireland in April 1822 and later landed at Quebec, Canada. Following his arrival, he was rejected at the seminaries of both the Archdiocese of Quebec and the Diocese of Montreal on account of his young age but, journeying southward, was finally accepted at Mount St. Mary's College in Emmitsburg, Maryland. While at Mount St. Mary's, he became professor of Greek and Latin, as well as sacristan, in 1823. He completed his theological studies in 1829 and then went to New York, where he was ordained a priest by Bishop John Dubois on September 19 of that year.
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