Jeremiah Francis Shanahan (July 17, 1834 – September 24, 1886) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church.

[1] After graduating from St. Joseph's Academy near Binghamton, New York in 1852, Shanahan entered St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia.

[1] On March 3, 1868, Shanahan was appointed the first bishop of the newly erected Diocese of Harrisburg by Pope Pius IX.

[2] Located in South Central Pennsylvania, the new diocese comprised Adams, Clinton, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder, Union, and York counties.

[3] Shanahan presided over a period of great growth, and by the time of his death there were 51 priests, 51 churches, 75 chapels and missions, three orphanages, 29 parochial schools, and over 35,000 Catholics.