Paul Francis Tanner

Paul Francis Tanner (January 15, 1905 – July 29, 1994) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the seventh bishop of the Diocese of St. Augustine in Florida from 1968 to 1979.

Early life Paul Tanner was born on January 15, 1905, in Peoria, Illinois, to Frank J. and Laura Margaret (née McGowan) Tanner. He and his family later moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he attended Marquette University. He began his studies for the priesthood at Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, and continued at St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee. He then went to Washington D.C. to study theology at the Catholic University of America, earning a Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree in 1933. Following the unexpected death of Pope John Paul I, Tanner reacted with "shock and surprise, even horror...It's a reminder that we are just one heartbeat away from eternity."

Retirement and death Tanner's resignation as bishop of St. Augustine was accepted by Pope John Paul II on April 21, 1979. Paul Tanner died at All Saints Nursing Home in Jacksonville, Florida, at age 89. He is buried at St. Mary Parish Cemetery in Hales Corners, Wisconsin.