Roman Catholic religious leader who held the position of Archbishop of San Francisco from 1884-1914.
He was ordained as a priest in 1865 and, the following year, he became a professor of religious history and law at St. Mary's of the Lake in Chicago, Illinois.
He was serving as Archbishop of San Francisco during the city's devastating 1906 earthquake. Following the disaster, he offered prayers and comfort to San Francisco residents who had lost their homes.
He was born in New Brunswick, Canada to Mary Dunne Riordan and Matthew Riordan, and he moved to Illinois when he was seven years old.
He and william Levada both held the position of Archbishop of San Francisco, California.
