George Albert Guertin

Who was George Albert Guertin?

George Albert Guertin was an American Roman Catholic bishop.

Guertin was born in Nashua, New Hampshire, of French Canadian parentage. After attending St. Hyacinthe College in Quebec and St. Charles College in Sherbrooke, he studied at St. John's Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts; he was the first alumnus of St. John's to become a bishop.

He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Denis Mary Bradley on December 17, 1892. He was a curate in Manchester and Lebanon before serving as pastor of St. Anthony's Church.

On January 2, 1907, Guertin was appointed the third Bishop of Manchester by Pope Pius X. He received his episcopal consecration on the following March 19 from Archishop Diomede Falconio, with Bishops Matthew Harkins and Michael Tierney serving as co-consecrators. His tenure lasted for over 24 years, and spanned the industrial changes of the early twentieth century, the hardship of World War I, the economic distress of mill closings, and ultimately the Great Depression.

He died at age 62.