Early life Thomas Walsh Jr. was born on December 6, 1873, in Parker's Landing, Pennsylvania, the eldest son of Thomas and Helen (Curtin) Walsh. After attending public and parochial schools in Pennsylvania, he studied at
St. Bonaventure College in Allegany, New York.
Priesthood Walsh was
ordained to the priesthood for the
Diocese of Buffalo by Bishop
James Edward Quigley on January 27, 1900. After his ordination, the diocese assigned Walsh as a
curate at
St. Joseph's Cathedral Parish in Buffalo. In June 1900, Quigley named Walsh as
chancellor of the diocese and as his private secretary.Walsh in July 1927 dedicated the new
St. James High School in
Red Bank, New Jersey.
Bishop and Archbishop of Newark Following the death of Bishop O'Connor in May 1927, Walsh was named bishop of Newark on March 2, 1928. He was
installed at the, as yet unfinished,
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart on May 1, 1928. The following year, Walsh established the Newark Mount Carmel Guild to help those on public assistance. In 1930, the guild set up a soup kitchen in the basement of
St. Patrick's Pro-Cathedral. In 1930, Walsh acquired the "Tower Hill", the estate of Louis C. Gillespie, founder of L.C. Gillespie & Sons. He invited the Religious Teachers Filippini to expand their work to the Diocese of Newark. The sisters re-located their motherhouse to
Morristown, New Jersey, and named it Villa Walsh, where they opened another girls school,
Villa Walsh Academy, while continuing to operate Villa Victoria Academy in Ewing Township. In 1931, Walsh saw the opening of a new chancery building in Newark. Prior to that, the administration of the diocese was conducted out of offices at St. John's School. In 1933, Walsh established Saint Gertrude Cemetery in
Colonia, New Jersey. In 1935, Walsh attended a
Eucharistic congress in
Cleveland, Ohio.In 1933, the Religious Teachers Filippini established
Villa Victoria Academy for girls. Walsh raised $2 million in 25 days to build Immaculate Conception Seminary in 1936, and encouraged
Seton Hall Preparatory School and
Seton Hall College to seek state accreditation. In 1939, Archbishop Walsh authorized the Sisters of Saint Dominic of Caldwell, led by Mother M. Joseph Dunn, to form
Caldwell College in Caldwell, NJ as a Catholic liberal arts college for women. Upon the elevation of the
Diocese of Newark to the rank of
archdiocese by
Pope Pius XI, Walsh was appointed its first
archbishop on December 10, 1937. On May 3, 1950, the
Government of Italy awarded Walsh the
Star of Italian Solidarity for his work with Italian immigrants in the archdiocese.
Death and legacy Thomas Walsh died on June 6, 1952, and was buried in the St. Patrick Cathedral crypt. Eighty-five
prelates and 700 priests attended his funeral ceremony, with over 5,000 people outside the cathedral. In 1957, the Diocese of Buffalo opened
Archbishop Walsh High School in
Olean, New York, in honor of Thomas Walsh.. ==References==