George, Francis Eugene (1937-2015), was archbishop of Chicago from 1997 to 2014. Pope John Paul II appointed him a cardinal in 1998. George held doctor’s degrees in philosophy and theology. He was known as a traditionalist in theology and a progressive on issues of social justice.
George was born on Jan. 16, 1937, in Chicago. In 1957, he graduated from St. Henry Preparatory Seminary in Belleville, Illinois, and entered the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. He was ordained a priest in 1963. George was appointed bishop of Yakima, Washington, in 1990 and became archbishop of Portland, Oregon, in 1996. He was appointed archbishop of Chicago following the death of the previous archbishop, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin. George died on April 17, 2015, following a battle with cancer.
