Joseph Francis Busch

Joseph Francis Busch (April 18, 1866—May 31, 1953) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Lead in South Dakota from 1910 to 1915 and bishop of the Diocese of Saint Cloud in Minnesota from 1915 until his death in 1953.

Biography

Early life Joseph Busch was born on April 18, 1866, in Red Wing, Minnesota, the eldest of twelve children of Frederick and Anna M. (née Weimar) Busch. His parents were German immigrants; his father served for many years as president of the Goodhue County National Bank in Red Wing and was also president of the La Grange mills.

Joseph Busch received his early education at the public and parochial schools of Red Wing, and afterwards attended parochial schools in Mankato. He furthered his studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., for one year. Busch later served at St. Lawrence Parish in Minneapolis and St. Anne Parish in Le Sueur, Minnesota.

Bishop of Saint Cloud On January 19, 1915, Busch was appointed the fourth Bishop of Saint Cloud in Minnesota by Pope Benedict XV. He was named an assistant at the pontifical throne in 1923.