John Ambrose Watterson

John Ambrose Watterson (May 27, 1844 – April 17, 1899) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Columbus in Ohio from 1880 until his death in 1899.

Biography

Early life The sixth of eleven children, John Watterson was born on May 27, 1844, in Blairsville, Pennsylvania, to John Sylvester and Sarah Salome (née McAfee) Watterson. His father's family came to the United States from the Isle of Man in the British Isles in 1762; originally Episcopalians, his grandfather was orphaned in 1781 and subsequently raised by a Catholic family in York County, Pennsylvania. In 1861, he entered Mount St. Mary's Seminary at Emmitsburg, Maryland, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with high honors. Watterson then served as professor of moral theology and Scripture at Mount St. Mary's, where he became vice president in 1877 and later president in 1879.

In 1887, Watterson purchased the former home of the financier William G. Deshler, which adjoined the cathedral, to serve as a rectory. This building housed the bishops of the diocese until 1949

Death John Watterson died in Columbus unexpectedly on April 17, 1899, at age 54.