John Janssen

John Janssen (actually, John, born March 3 1835 in Keppeln, a district of Uedem; † July 2, 1913 in Belleville, Illinois ) was a German -American Roman Catholic bishop and theologian.

After graduating from the Collegium Augustinianum Gaesdonck and the study of theology in Münster Janssen came in 1858 in the U.S. and was on 19 November of the same year a priest of the diocese of Alton, Illinois, ( since 1923 Diocese of Springfield, Illinois) consecrated. From 1870 to 1886 was Janssen vicar general of his bishop, Peter J. Baltes. After his death on February 15, 1886 Janssen was first diocesan administrator of Alton and after separation of the Diocese of Belleville diocese of Alton on January 7, 1887 in addition also of Belleville.

On February 28, 1888 Janssen was by Pope Leo XIII. appointed the first Bishop of Belleville. He received his episcopal consecration of the Archbishop of Chicago, Patrick Augustine Feehan, on April 25th of that year. Co-consecrators were the bishop of Kansas City, John Joseph Hogan, and the Bishop of Leavenworth, Louis Mary Fink, OSB.

He died on 2 July 1913 in the office.