45 Facts About James Gibbons

James Cardinal Gibbons was a senior-ranking American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as apostolic vicar of the Apostolic Vicariate of North Carolina from 1868 to 1872, bishop of the Diocese of Richmond in Virginia from 1872 to 1877, and as ninth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Maryland from 1877 until his death.

James Gibbons was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 1886.

James Gibbons was 34 years of age, serving as the first apostolic vicar of North Carolina.

James Gibbons attended the First Vatican Council in Rome where he voted in favor of defining the dogma of papal infallibility.

In 1872, James Gibbons was named bishop of Richmond by Pope Pius IX.

In 1877, James Gibbons was appointed archbishop of Baltimore, the premier episcopal see in the United States.

James Gibbons defended the rights of organized labor and helped convince Pope Leo XIII to give his consent to labor unions.

In 1886, James Gibbons was appointed to the College of Cardinals, becoming the second cardinal in American history, after Cardinal John McCloskey, archbishop of New York.

James Gibbons was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the fourth of six children, to Thomas and Bridget James Gibbons.

Thomas operated a grocery store in Ballinrobe, and James Gibbons Gibborns received his early education there.

In 1855, James Gibbons entered St Charles College in Ellicott City, Maryland.

James Gibbons suffered a severe attack of malaria while at St Mary's, leaving him so debilitated that the staff doubted his ability to handle ordination.

Slight of build and a little under than average height, James Gibbons suffered throughout his life from gastric problems and consequent periods of anxiety and clinical depression.

On June 30,1861, James Gibbons was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Baltimore by Archbishop Francis Kenrick at the Baltimore Cathedral.

James Gibbons then served as a curate at St Patrick's Parish in Fells Point in Baltimore for six weeks before becoming the first pastor of St Brigid's Parish in the Canton section of the city.

James Gibbons served as a chaplain for Confederate Army prisoners of war at Fort McHenry in Baltimore during the American Civil War.

In 1865, James Gibbons was appointed private secretary to Archbishop Martin Spalding.

James Gibbons helped prepare for the Second Plenary Council of Baltimore in October 1866.

On March 3,1868, James Gibbons was appointed as the first apostolic vicar of North Carolina and Titular Bishop of Adramyttium by Pope Pius IX.

James Gibbons received his episcopal consecration on August 15,1868, from Archbishop Spalding, with Bishops Patrick Lynch and Michael Domenec serving as co-consecrators.

James Gibbons befriended many Protestants, who greatly outnumbered Catholics in the state, and preached at their churches.

James Gibbons became a popular American religious figure, gathering crowds for his sermons on diverse topics that could apply to Christianity as a whole.

James Gibbons knew every president from Andrew Johnson to Warren G Harding and served as an adviser to several of them.

In 1869 and 1870 James Gibbons attended the First Vatican Council in Rome.

James Gibbons voted in favor of the doctrine of papal infallibility.

James Gibbons assumed the additional duties of apostolic administrator for the Diocese of Richmond, Virginia, in January 1872.

James Gibbons was named by Pius IX as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Richmond on July 30,1872.

James Gibbons was installed as bishop on October 20,1872.

James Gibbons succeeded as archbishop on October 3,1877, after the death of Archbishop James Bayley.

James Gibbons therefore travelled extensively throughout the archdiocese, coming to know the priests and parishioners very well.

James Gibbons was the second American cardinal after John McCloskey.

James Gibbons advocated the creation of the Catholic University of America in Washington DC and when it was established in 1887, served as its first Chancellor.

In 1903, James Gibbons became the first American cardinal to articipate in a papal conclave.

James Gibbons would have participated in the 1914 conclave but he arrived late.

James Gibbons allowed the newly ordained William A Hemmick to serve American troops in France during the war.

James Gibbons was initially opposed to the women's suffrage movement in the United States.

James Gibbons died on March 24,1921, in Baltimore at age 86.

James Gibbons advocated for the protection of working people, an issue of particular concern because he believed many Catholics were being exploited by the industrial expansion of America's urban East Coast at the turn of the century.

James Gibbons successfully defended the Knights of Labor, which had a significant Catholic membership, from papal censure, thereby winning a reputation as labor's friend.

Since the conference organizers had not invited Leopold to send a representative, the Government of Belgim asked James Gibbons to help remove Congo from the agenda.

James Gibbons then wrote a letter to the United Peace Congress organizers, calling it unfair to discuss Congo at the Congress without a representative of Leopold in attendence.

James Gibbons had relied too much on the word of the Belgim government and intermittent reports from Catholic missionaries.

Part of James Gibbons' popularity derived from the works he authored.

James Gibbons contributed a number of essays to much-read journals such as the North American Review and Putnams' Monthly.

In 1876, James Gibbons published his most famous and highly regarded book, The Faith of Our Fathers: A Plain Exposition and Vindication of the Church Founded by Our Lord Jesus Christ [1].