Edwin Byrne

Edwin Vincent Byrne (August 9, 1891 – July 26, 1963) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe in New Mexico from 1943 to 1963. He previously served in Puerto Rico as bishop of the Diocese of Ponce from 1925 to 1929 and as bishop of the Diocese of San Juan de Puerto Rico from 1929 to 1943.

Biography

Early life Edwin Byrne was born on August 9, 1891, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Francis Charles and Anna (née Carroll) Byrne. After graduating from Roman Catholic High School for Boys in Philadelphia in 1908, he studied at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia. After his ordination, the archdiocese assigned Byrne as a curate at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Philadelphia. After the American entry into World War I in April 1917, he enlisted in the US Navy Chaplain Corps. In 1958, his decree that no Catholic girl should appear in a bathing suit in the Miss New Mexico pageant received national attention and stirred controversy; he never rescinded the ban. He condemned a "right to work" bill being considered in the New Mexico Legislature. Byrne attended the first session of the Second Vatican Council in Rome in 1962.

Death Byrne suffered a gallbladder attack on July 21, 1963, and was admitted to St. Vincent Hospital in Santa Fe two days later. He underwent surgery for gallbladder removal on July 26, 1963, dying later that day. He was buried at Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi in Santa Fe.