John Carroll (bishop)

John Carroll (January 8, 1735 – December 3, 1815) was a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the first bishop and archbishop in the United States. He served as the ordinary of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Maryland.

Carroll is also known as the founder of Georgetown University, (the oldest Roman Catholic university in the United States), and of St. John the Evangelist Parish of Rock Creek, (now Forest Glen), the first secular (diocesan) parish in the country. This means its clergy did not come from monastic orders.

Early life and education

John Carroll was born to Daniel Carroll I, a native of Ireland, and Eleanor (Darnall) Carroll, of English Catholic descent, at the large plantation which Eleanor Darnall had inherited from her family. He spent his early years at the family home, sited on thousands of acres near Upper Marlboro, the county seat of Prince George's County in Maryland. (Several remnant surrounding acres are now associated with the house museum known as "Darnall's Chance", listed on the National Register of Historic Places and part of the system of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission for northern suburban Washington, D.C.).