William Henry Elder (March 22, 1819 – October 31, 1904) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Natchez in Mississippi from 1857 to 1880 and as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati in Ohio between 1883 and his death. Biography Early life and education William Elder was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 22, 1819. His father, Basil Elder, was a descendant of William Elder (1681–1714), a Catholic immigrant from England to Maryland (United States) in colonial times. His grandfather was Thomas Elder, husband of Elizabeth Spalding, thus making William a first cousin once removed of Catherine Spalding, co-founder of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. His mother was Elisabeth Miles (née Snowden) Elder. In 1831 Elder entered Mount St. Mary's College, in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Elder graduated in 1837 and entered the seminary. In 1842, he was sent to the Pontifical Urban College in Rome, where he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity. Elder was ordained a priest in Rome on March 29, 1846. He became professor at the seminary at Emmitsburg, Maryland. Bishop of Natchez Elder was appointed on January 9, 1857, by Pope Pius IX to succeed James Oliver Van de Velde as bishop of the Diocese of Natchez. He was consecrated in the cathedral of Baltimore by Archbishop Francis Kenrick on May 3, 1857. The diocese comprised the entire state of Mississippi. On the eve of the American Civil War, Elder wrote to his father: It is hard to tell what is to be the fate of the country. I have not enough of political sagacity to see what will be the course of events, nor what would be the fruit of the remedies proposed. . . . We can all unite in praying to God to guide and protect us. Elder celebrated Mass for the wounded and ministered to soldiers and freedmen gathered in Natchez. He sent priests to serve as chaplains in the Confederate States Army and Sisters of Mercy to nurse the sick and wounded, and he gave his blessing to a Natchez volunteer company. During the Union occupation of Natchez, Elder caused some controversy for refusing to obey an order to have prayers for the President of the United States recited publicly in the churches of his diocese. On June 18, 1864, Colonel B.G. Farrar, commander at Natchez, and former schoolmate of Elder's