William F. J. Ryan

William Francis James Ryan (January 12, 1903 July 19, 1981) was an American designer of ecclesiastical heraldry. Ryan created over 1,000 coats of arms for cardinals, bishops, dioceses, colleges, and other institutions.

Biography

Ryan was born in Newark, New Jersey on January 12, 1903, to James and Anna Ryan. He attended Xavier High School in New York City, graduating in 1921. He conducted post-graduate studies at New York University. Ryan first became interested in heraldry in the 1930s after meeting Pierre de Chaignon la Rose. Before his death, la Rose created most of the ecclesiastical heraldry in the United States. He was a member of the Académie internationale d'Héraldique, and had a personal library of 500 volumes on heraldry. By 1965, half of the business of the Ryan-West Banknote Company was creating heraldry. He designed arms for most of the Catholic hierarchy in the United States. Prelates for whom he designed included Cardinal John Carberry, Cardinal John Cody, Cardinal Patrick O'Boyle, Cardinal John Krol, and Bishop James P. Shannon. Dioceses he created arms for included Washington, Atlanta, Savannah, Norwich, and Bridgeport. Seton Hall University, Merrimack College, St. Mark Seminary, and Niagara University Other institutions include America Magazine.

Ryan married Alice Killigrew on January 29, 1934. With Alice, he had a son, William, and two daughters, Alice and Virginia. He moved to Massachusetts in 1973. Ryan died on July 19, 1981, in Hyannis, Massachusetts at the age of 78.