Early life James Keane was born August 26, 1857, in
Joliet, Illinois. When he was a young child, the family moved to
Minnesota. He was educated at
St. John's Seminary in Collegeville, Minnesota,
St. Francis Xavier College in New York City and the
Grand Séminaire de Montréal in Montreal, Quebec.
Priesthood Keane was ordained a priest in Montreal by Archbishop
Édouard-Charles Fabre on December 23, 1882, for the
Archdiocese of Saint Paul.
Bishop of Cheyenne On June 10, 1902,
Pope Leo XIII appointed Keane as the third bishop of Cheyenne. He was consecrated at the
Cathedral of Saint Paul in St. Paul, Minnesota, on October 28, 1902, by Archbishop
John Ireland. Bishops
Joseph Cotter and
James McGolrick were the principal co-consecrators. Keane came to
Wyoming at a time of increasing population and economic expansion. Keane needed to recruit priests who would be willing to work in the difficult environment of Wyoming, and was successful in doing so. The diocese was incorporated according to the laws of the state of Wyoming. The parishes of the diocese were likewise incorporated with the bishop, the pastor and two lay trustees serving as a corporate board at each parish. He obtained funding from the newly formed
Catholic Church Extension Society in Chicago, Illinois, to expand the Catholic presence across Wyoming. Keane also directed the construction of the
Cathedral of Saint Mary in Cheyenne and a new episcopal residence. He dedicated the new cathedral in 1909.
Archbishop of Dubuque , Baltimore, Maryland (1927)
Pope Pius X named James Keane as the third archbishop of Dubuque on August 11, 1911. James Keane would gain the nickname "Hickory" due to his stern nature. That same year, Keane began an
endowment fund for the college; it became one of only seven Catholic colleges or universities in the country with an
endowment fund of at least $1 million. A strong believer in Catholic education, Keane insisted that all Catholics in the archdiocese provide financial support to the parochial schools, even if they did not have children attending them.
Death and legacy James Keane died on August 2, 1929, in
Dubuque, Iowa. He was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in
Key West, Iowa. ==References==