Karl Alter was born on August 18, 1885, in Toledo, Ohio, to John P. and Elizabeth (née Kuttner) Alter.[1] His father was a cigar manufacturer and liquor dealer. Karl Alter attended St. John's High School in Delphos, Ohio, and was a member of the first graduating class of St. John's College in Toledo in 1905.[2] He made his theological studies at St. Mary's Seminary in Cleveland, Ohio.[1]
Priesthood
On June 4, 1910, Alter was
Catholic Charities, coordinating various charitable organizations in the diocese into one agency.[1] During this period, Alter also served as vice-president of the Toledo Social Service Foundation, a trustee of the Toledo Red Cross and of the Toledo Society for the Blind, and a member of the children's division of the state department of public welfare.[2]
Alter served as a lecturer in
Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.[1] While in Washington, he also served as chairman of the speakers' committee for the Catholic Hour radio program.[1]
Bishop of Toledo
On April 17, 1931, Alter was appointed the third bishop of the Diocese of Toledo by
Moscow Agreement of 1943, fearful that the Soviet Union would not fulfill its promises on religious and personal freedoms.[4] In 1944, he drafted a proposal for a joint declaration on world peace by Catholic, Jewish, and Protestant leaders.[2]
Following
St. Charles Hospital
.
Archbishop of Cincinnati
Following the death of Archbishop McNicholas, Alter was appointed by
Within the National Catholic Welfare Conference (NCWC), Alter served two terms as vice- chairman (1950–52, 1956–58), two terms as chairman (1952–1955, 1958–1962), and one term as secretary (1962–1966).[1] As chairman of the NCWC, he issued a protest against religious and racial discrimination in June 1960. Between 1962 and 1965, Alter attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council in Rome, having previously served on the Central Preparatory Commission. At the Council, he sat on the Commissions for Bishops and for the Government of Dioceses. He discontinued first grades in Cincinnati parochial schools in 1964 because of high costs and overcrowded classrooms.[5] However, Alter did not believe that this would greatly interfere with children's religious education.[5]
Retirement and legacy
Pope Paul VI accepted Alter's resignation as archbishop of Cincinnati on July 19, 1969 and appointed him as titular archbishop of Minora. Alter held that post until December 31, 1970.
