Leo Binz

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Leonard Binz (October 31, 1900 - October 9, 1979) was a Roman Catholic Bishop and Archbishop.

From Stockton, Illinois, Archbishop Binz is believed to have been the first priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockford to be named a Bishop.

Leo Binz was ordained as a priest on March 15, 1924. In December, 1942 he was ordained as a Bishop. He was assigned as the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Winona, Minnesota due to the fact that Bishop Francis Kelley was in poor health. In 1943 he was named Coadjutor Bishop of Winona. During his time in Winona, the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary was established, all the diocesan offices were centralized, and plans for building the first cathedral in Winona were begun.

In 1949 Archbishop Henry Rohlman of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dubuque requested a coadjutor, and Bishop Binz was selected for this honor. He served as the Coadjutor Archbishop of Dubuque until Archbishop Rohlman retired on December 2, 1954.

Archbishop Binz then became the sixth Bishop and fourth Archbishop of Dubuque. During his tenure in Dubuque, Archbishop Binz helped develop Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese. Binz blessed the cornerstone of Wahlert High School in Dubuque, which was opened during his tenure. The North American Martyr's Retreat House in Cedar Falls, Iowa was established through Binz's efforts, and he helped to expand Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese.

Archbishop Binz served as the head of the Dubuque, Iowa Archdiocese from 1954 until his reassignment as the fifth Archbishop and seventh Bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul in 1962. He was installed in the Archepiscopal office on April 28, 1962 and remained in it until his retirement on May 28, 1975, succeeded by John Roach. Early in his term as Archbishop of St. Paul, in 1966, the Vatican altered the name of the Archdiocese to reflect the equal stature of the Twin Cities by naming the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis as co-cathedral of the Archdiocese, adding the words "and Minneapolis" to the name. Subsequently, he was known as the Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

On his death in 1979, Archbishop Binz was awarded the title Archbishop Emeritus. Archbishop Binz was buried with other Archbishops of the Archdiocese at Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights, Minnesota.

Preceded by Henry Rohlman	Archbishop of Dubuque 1954–1962	Succeeded by James Byrne
Preceded by William Brady	Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis 1962–1975	Succeeded by John Roach