List of Roman Catholic archbishops of New York

As the archdiocese is the metropolitan see of the ecclesiastical province encompassing nearly all of the state of New York,[1][2] the Archbishop of New York also administers the bishops who head the suffragan dioceses of Albany, Brooklyn, Buffalo, Ogdensburg, Rochester, Rockville Centre and Syracuse.

[4] R. Luke Concanen was appointed its first bishop; however, he was unable to leave the Italian Peninsula due to the Napoleonic Wars and died before he could set out for New York.

[7] On account of the population increase due largely to Catholic immigrants from Ireland and Germany, the Holy See decided to elevate the diocese to the status of archdiocese on July 19, 1850.

[8][9] Because of the prominence of the position and the challenges that accompany it, Pope John Paul II described the office as "archbishop of the capital of the world.

[20][21] Francis Spellman had the longest tenure as Archbishop of New York, serving for 28 years from 1939 to 1967,[22] while Concanen held the position for 26 months (1808–1810), marking the shortest episcopacy.

Illustration of a white-haired man wearing liturgical vestments and a pectoral cross facing forward.
R. Luke Concanen was the first Bishop of New York, but died before he could set foot in the Diocese.
A man wearing a cassock with a fascia and pectoral cross faces forward.
John Hughes was the last Bishop of New York and its first archbishop.
A seated man wearing liturgical vestments and pectoral cross faces forward.
John McCloskey became the first American cardinal in 1875.