Francis Patrick Keough

Francis Keough was born on June 10, 1916, in New Britain, Connecticut, the second and youngest son of Patrick and Margaret (née Ryan) Keough.[1] His parents were Irish immigrants, and his father died when Francis was only five years old.[1] He received his early education at the parochial school of St. Mary's Church in New Britain, and began his studies for the priesthood at St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, Connecticut.[2] In 1911, Keough was sent to the Grand Seminary of Saint-Sulpice in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France.[2] He returned home following the outbreak of World War I, and completed his theological studies at St. Bernard's Seminary in Rochester, New York.[1]

On June 10, 1916, Keough was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Hartford by Bishop John Nilan.[3] His first assignment was as a curate at St. Rose Parish in Meriden, Connecticut, where he remained until becoming private secretary to Bishop Nilan in 1919.[1] He also served as diocesan director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, as assistant chancellor, and as chaplain of two institutions.[2]

On February 10, 1934, Keough was appointed the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Providence by Pope Pius XI.[3] He received his episcopal consecration on May 22, 1934, from Archbishop Amleto Cicognani, with Archbishop John Murray and Bishop James Cassidy serving as co-consecrators.[3]

During Keough's tenure in Providence, the Catholic population of the diocese increased from 325,000 to 425,000, and the number of clergy grew by fifty percent.[1] He also founded a minor seminary, eased tensions between the French-speaking and English-speaking members of his congregation, and reduced the heavy financial debts burdening the diocese.[2]

On November 29, 1947, Keough was named by Pope Pius XII to succeed Michael Curley as the eleventh archbishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, .[3] He was formally installed in the Basilica of the Assumption in Baltimore on February 24, 1948.[3] During the fourteen years of his administration, the Catholic population of the archdiocese, the first Catholic see in the United States, grew from 265,000 to 400,000.[4] The new Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore and many new schools, homes, orphanages and other institutions were built.[4]

Keough was a trustee of the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and a member of the American Board of Catholic Missions. He served three terms as chair of the National Catholic Welfare Conference.[4] Keough was known as the "Archbishop of the poor" due to his dedication to orphans and the aged.[5] He was named an assistant to the papal throne in 1959.[4]

Francis Keough died in Baltimore from a cerebral thrombosis on December 8, 1961 at age 70.[5]