George Hugh Niederauer (June 14, 1936 – May 2, 2017) was an American bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the Archbishop of San Francisco. Before that, Niederauer served as Bishop of Salt Lake City from 1994 to 2005.

George Niederauer was born in Los Angeles, California, the only child of George and Elaine Niederauer. He attended St. Catherine's Military School and then St. Anthony High School; he was a classmate of Cardinal William Levada. After graduating in 1954, he attended Stanford University. During his freshman year Niederauer changed course and decided to enter St. John's Seminary in Camarillo, from where in 1959 he earned a Bachelor of Philosophy degree. He further completed his studies with a Bachelor of Sacred Theology degree from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and a Master of Arts degree in English literature from Loyola University, Los Angeles, in 1962. Niederauer also earned a Ph.D. in English Literature at USC.

Niederauer was ordained to the priesthood on April 30, 1962. He was raised to the rank of Honorary Prelate of His Holiness in 1984. Niederauer served as Rector of St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo from 1987 to 1992.^[1] He was appointed the eighth Bishop of Salt Lake City by Pope John Paul II on November 3, 1994. Niederauer received his episcopal consecration on January 25, 1995, from Cardinal Roger Mahony, with Archbishop William Levada and Bishop Tod David Brown serving as co-consecrators. As bishop he was seen as "the most approachable of persons and one whose homilies were almost magical in their ability to make potentially difficult Scripture passages and theological concepts comprehensible and applicable – even inspiring – in our daily lives."^[2]

On December 15, 2005, Pope Benedict XVI named him to succeed William Levada as the eighth Metropolitan Archbishop of San Francisco, following Levada's appointment to Pope Benedict's former post of Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith in the Roman Curia. Archbishop Niederauer was the chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Communication, and a member of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.^[3]

On August 29, 2011, Niederauer underwent emergency double by-pass heart surgery.^[4]

On July 27, 2012, the apostolic nuncio to the United States announced that the Holy See had accepted Niederauer's letter of resignation, and Salvatore J. Cordileone was appointed the Archbishop-elect of San Francisco.^[5] On that day, the see of San Francisco became vacant, and Niederauer attained the title Archbishop Emeritus.

• "George Hugh Niederauer". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney.
• Salt Lake Diocese press release of Niederauer's appointment as archbishop