Peter Joseph Lavialle

Peter Joseph Lavialle was a Frenchborn prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Louisville from 1865 until his death in 1867.

Lavialle was born in Mauriac, Cantal, and there studied theology under the Sulpician Fathers. In 1842 he accepted an invitation from his relative, Bishop Guy Ignatius Chabrat, to join the Diocese of Louisville, Kentucky. Following his arrival in the United States, Lavialle continued his studies at the diocesan seminary and was ordained to the priesthood on February 2, 1844. He then served as a curate at the cathedral until 1849, when he became professor of theology at St. Thomas Seminary. In 1856 he was named president of St. Marys College. He was appointed to succeed Antoine Blanc as Archbishop of New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1860, but he refused the honor.

Source: Wikipedia