Joseph Melcher

Joseph Melcher (March 18, 1807 – December 20, 1873) was an Austrian-born prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay in Wisconsin from 1868 until his death in 1873.

Biography Early life Joseph Melcher was born March 18, 1807, in Vienna in the Austrian Empire to Mathias and Theresa (née Loibl) Melcher. In 1814, the family moved to Modena, Italy, where Matthew Melcher had been appointed administrator of the property of Francis IV, Duke of Modena. After his ordination, Melcher served as a chaplain to German Catholics in Modena. in 1842 or 1843, Melcher was recruited by Bishop Joseph Rosati to return with him to the United States and work in what was then the Diocese of St. Louis. Melcher arrived in Missouri in 1843. As Rosati had died during the voyage, Melcher was greeted by his successor, Bishop Peter Kenrick. Melcher's first assignment was as a missionary in Little Rock, Arkansas.

After Little Rock was elevated to a diocese, Melcher was recalled to Missouri and assigned as a pastor in St. Louis County from 1844 to 1846. He accompanied Bishop Kenrick to the sixth Provincial Council of Baltimore in 1846, and regularly went to Europe to recruit priests for the diocese. By the end of his five years as bishop, the number of priests had increased to 56 and the Catholic population to 60,000. He also began the preparatory work for the new cathedral. From 1869 to 1870, Melcher attended the First Vatican Council in Rome.

Joseph Melcher died in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on December 20, 1873, at age 67.