William George McCloskey

William George McCloskey (10 November 1823 – 17 September 1909) was an American Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Louisville from 1868 to 1909.

Life Early life William George McCloskey was born in Brooklyn, New York on November 10, 1823, the youngest of five sons of George and Ellen McCloskey. Two of his older brothers, John and George McCloskey, also became priests. John became president of Mount St. Mary's College in Emmitsburg, Maryland. George became pastor of the Church of the Nativity in New York City. After his ordination, the archdiocese assigned McCloskey as assistant pastor at Church of the Nativity in Manhattan, serving with his brother George. William McCloskey celebrated his first mass in the basement of that church. In 1857, McCloskey succeeded Reverend William Henry Elder as director of St. Mary's Seminary, where he taught moral theology and sacred scripture. During this time, Georgetown University awarded him a Doctor of Divinity degree. In that same year, Bishop McCloskey was instrumental in bringing the Sisters of Mercy to Louisville in October 1869, where they took over operation of the U.S. Marine Hospital in that city.

The growth of the parochial schools was chiefly the product of his zeal. In 1869 he established the diocesan seminary known as Preston Park Seminary. He was buried in a cemetery in Nazareth, Kentucky.