James Duhig
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Archbishop Sir James Duhig (2 September 1873 - 10 April 1965 was Roman Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane for nearly 50 years and was at the time of his death the longest-serving bishop in the church. Duhig was born in County Limerick but emigrated with his family to Australia as a young boy, completing his education at St. Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace.
Duhig was ordained as priest in 1896 and his profile grew rapidly. He became the youngest bishop in the Catholic church in 1905 when he was ordained Bishop of Rockhampton. On 13 January 1917 he was ordained Archbishop of Brisbane, a role he held for many years.
Duhig was an enthusiastic builder, erecting more than 400 buldings. These buildings are a prominent feature of the Brisbane landscape to this day. His most ambitious project, the Cathedral of the Holy Name in Fortitude Valley, was a casualty of the Great Depression which destroyed the value of the investments that were to finance the project. In addition to the construction of buildings, Duhig created over fifty new parishes and encouraged the establishment of twenty branches of religious orders in a state that had previously been dominated by a small number, particularly the Christian Brothers and the Sisters of Mercy.
Similar to his contemporary, Daniel Mannix, Duhig played an active role in public life. Unlike Mannix, however, Duhig favoured accommodation with the (largely Protestant) established order. This was reflected in the award of a knighthood (KCMG) in 1959.
Politically conservative, Duhig played a fairly neutral role during the split in the Australian Labor Party that led to the formation of the Democratic Labor Party.
[edit] University of Queensland
Duhig played a major role in the development of the University of Queensland, being a member of the University Senate from 1916 until his death in 1965. He established St Leo’s College, where an annual lecture is given in his honour. The University recognised Duhig's contribution by naming the Duhig Library after him and awarding him the degree of Doctor of Laws.
