Martin Dewey McNamara

Martin Dewey McNamara (May 12, 1896 – May 23, 1966) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the new Diocese of Joliet in Illinois from 1949 until his death in 1966.

Biography

Early life McNamara was born on May 12, 1896, in Chicago, Illinois, to John Lawrence and Mary (née Hogan) McNamara. He was educated at St. Bride's School and Cathedral College, both in Chicago. McNamara then attended St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland and the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

Priesthood McNamara was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Chicago by Cardinal George Mundelein on December 23, 1922. McNamara became a professor at Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary in Chicago in 1925, and served as a chaplain at St. Vincent Infant Hospital in Chicago from 1932 to 1937.

McNamara was too ill to travel to Rome to attend the Second Vatican Council during the early 1960s. Martin McNamara died in Rochester, Minnesota, on May 23, 1966, at age 70.