Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Becker, Thomas Albert

BECKER, Thomas Albert, R. C. bishop, b. in Pittsburg, Pa., 12 June, 1832; d. in Washington, Ga., 29 May, 1899. He studied at the Propaganda, Rome, and was ordained in 1859. On his return he went to Richmond, Va., and was afterward sent to Martinsburg and Berkeley Springs. At the close of the war he returned to Baltimore, and was for some time on duty at St. Peter's church. He was afterward appointed professor of theology, ecclesiastical history, and sacred scriptures in St. Mary's college, Emmettsburg, and was one of the chief secretaries of the plenary council assembled at Baltimore. He was then stationed at the cathedral of Richmond, where he remained until created bishop of the new diocese of Wilmington, Del., 23 Aug., 1868. He was transferred to the see of Savannah in May, 1886. Dr. Becker has contributed largely to reviews and periodicals, and his series of articles in the “American Catholic Quarterly,” on the idea of a true university, attracted wide attention.