Keane, John J. (John Joseph), 1839-1918

John Joseph Keane was born on September 12, 1839 in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Ireland. He came to the United States as a child and grew up in Baltimore. He was ordained in 1866, and was appointed as an assistant at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Washington, DC. In 1878 he was named Bishop of Richmond, Virginia. Appointed a member of the committee to organize a Catholic University for the US in 1885, Keane was an early and active supporter of the University. He was appointed the first Rector of the newly established Catholic University of America in September 1887. He left the University in 1896 and was called to Rome where he was named Archbishop of Damascus and a canon of the Basilica of St. John Lateran. He returned to the US in 1899 to take up fundraising for Catholic University again. In 1900 he was named Archbishop of Dubuque, a position he held until 1911. He later died in 1918.

From the description of The John Joseph Keane collection 1868-1919. (Catholic University of America). WorldCat record id: 163572203