Patrick James Donahue

Patrick James Donahue (April 15, 1849 – October 4, 1922) was an English-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling in West Virginia from 1894 until his death in 1922.

Biography

Early life Patrick Donahue was born on April 15, 1849, in Little Malvern, Worcestershire, in the United Kingdom. He became a student at St. Michael's Priory in Hereford, England, at age 14 and entered St. Gregory's College near Bath, England two years later. After graduating in 1869, he taught English and mathematics.

In 1873, Donahue immigrated to the United States and settled in Washington, D.C. He enrolled at George Washington University Law School in Washington and was admitted to the bar in 1876. He received his episcopal consecration on April 8, 1894, at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cathedral from Gibbons, with Bishops John Foley and Leo Haid serving as co-consecrators. He also established the first official diocesan periodical, The Church Calendar, in 1895 and held the sixth diocesan synod in 1899.

Death Patrick Donahue died on October 4, 1922, in Wheeling from heart disease at age 72.