Henry Cosgrove

Henry Cosgrove (December 19, 1834 – December 23, 1906) was a late 19th-century and early 20th-century bishop of the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as the second bishop of Diocese of Davenport in Iowa from 1884 to until his death in 1906.

Biography

Early life Henry Cosgrove was born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, on December 19, 1834, to John and Bridget Cosgrove, both Irish immigrants. The family moved to Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, and then to Dubuque, Iowa, in 1845. Cosgrove first studied with Reverend Joseph Cretin, then vicar general of the Diocese of Dubuque. Cosgrove then attended St. Mary's Seminary in Perry County, Missouri, for the classics, and the seminary at Carondelet, Missouri, for theology.

Priesthood

Diocese of Dubuque Cosgrove was ordained a priest by Bishop Clement Smyth on August 27, 1857, for the Diocese of Dubuque. After his ordination, Cosgrove was assigned as an assistant pastor at St. Margaret's Parish in Davenport, Iowa, then part of the diocese. He was named pastor there in 1861.

In an early morning of March 1878, three men broke into St. Margaret's Church. Their goal was to steal the collection from the Forty Hours' Devotion that was collected in the previous service. During the break in, one man shot at Cosgrove while he was in bed, missing him. The burglars fled the church without the collection. A $3,000 reward was offered for their capture. All three men were ultimately arrested, convicted and sent to Anamosa State Penitentiary in Anamosa, Iowa. Cosgrove was incardinated, or transferred, to the new diocese on June 4, 1881. St. Margaret's was elevated to a cathedral and Cosgrove became the cathedral's rector. McMullen named him as the first vicar general of the diocese.

After the death of Bishop McMullen on July 4, 1883, the Vatican named Cosgrove as the diocesan administration. When the diocese sent a list of possible candidates for bishop to the Vatican, Cosgrove's name, despite being vicar general, was missing. This omission was allegedly the work of priests from Des Moines, Iowa, who still wanted it to be the see city instead of Davenport. However, after Cosgrove's supporters learned of this maneuver, they persuaded the Vatican to wait on an appointment until it received a petition from the clergy that favored Cosgrove.

Bishop of Davenport

Cosgrove was appointed the second bishop of Davenport on July 11, 1884, by Pope Leo XIII. He was consecrated in St. Margaret's Cathedral on September 14, 1884, by Archbishop Patrick Feehan of Chicago. Cosgrove presided over the diocese's second synod the same year

Death and legacy Bishop Cosgrove's grave, Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Davenport, Iowa (2022) Cosgrove Hall, St. Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa (2013) Henry Cosgrove died of cancer on December 23, 1906, in Davenport at age 72. After his funeral, Cosgrove was interred in the cathedral crypt. His remains were later moved to Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Davenport when the diocese abandoned the crypt.

Cosgrove was the first native born bishop of the United States appointed to a see west of the Mississippi River. Cosgrove Hall, a residence hall at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, is named in his honor.