William_Wakefield_Baum--Cardinal_John_O'Connor

William Wakefield Baum (November 21, 1926 – July 23, 2015) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the Bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau (1970–1973) and Archbishop of Washington (1973–1980) before serving in the Roman Curia as prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education (1980–1990) and the major penitentiary (1990–2001).Baum was elevated to the College of Cardinals in 1976. At the time of his 1980 appointment as prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, he was the highest-ranking American ever in the church. By the time of his death, he had also been a cardinal longer than any other American.