appointment of Bishop Joseph Rummel to Archbishop of New Orleans in March 1935, Ryan was named the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Omaha on August 3, 1935. In 1939, he was sent to South America to "develop cultural relationships" on behalf of the American Catholic Church and the U.S. Department of State. Following his return, he declared, "The foundation has been laid for a 'Catholic front' to protect democracy in this hemisphere." When the Diocese of Omaha was elevated to the rank of an archdiocese, Ryan became its first Archbishop on August 4, 1945. He died two years later from a heart attack at age 60. References 1886 births 1948 deaths Duquesne University alumni The Athenaeum of Ohio alumni 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States Presidents of the Catholic University of America Roman Catholic archbishops of Omaha Fellows of the Medieval Academy of America 20th-century American academics