Who was James Duhig?
Portrait of Sir James hanging in St Leo's College | |
Sir James Duhig was born September 1871 in County Limerick, Ireland. During the Depression he and his family joined the continuing Irish migration of the time, and sailed for Brisbane, arriving aboard the Merkara in April 1885.
In Brisbane Duhig attended the Christian Brothers College of St Josephs, Gregory Terrace, leaving when almost 14 to begin work as a clerk for the Cooperative Butchery Company in the city.
The Duhig family were part of a solid Catholic Community. Whilst working as a clerk, Duhig was a member of the Catholic Young Men’s Society and took part in public speaking and debating run by the society. The CYMS could be said to have launched the speaking career of one of Queensland’s great orators. It was in these early years that Duhig felt the call to priesthood.
Duhig sailed for Italy in 1891 where he lived at the Irish College, Rome, and studied for the priesthood at the Propaganda University. Although he was a diligent student and developed a taste for the study of theology, he did not become a great theologian. Rather, during his studies he "laboured at perfecting the expression of thought" and developed the ability to express "the word with clarity, strength and moving power" (Boland 1986:55).
On 19 September 1896, at the age of 25, Duhig was ordained a priest and returned to Brisbane the following year. He began work as a curate in Ipswich, at the time a bustling township, rich from agriculture and coal. He took on special responsibility for the county districts surrounding Ipswich and also gained experience in administration and building.
Duhig spent seven years as curate in Ipswich, before Archbishop Dunne sent for him to proceed to St Stephens Cathedral, Brisbane. In March 1905 he became its administrator, but although he made a deep impression at that time on the diocese, the position was short lived.
In December 1905 Duhig was ordained the Bishop of Rockhampton, a very large archdiocese of over 900,000 square kilometres. He travelled the area widely, becoming well acquainted with the religious and socio-economic issues facing the people. Many of his outback experiences are recounted in his autobiography Crowded years.
On 26 February 1912 Duhig came back to Brisbane to be appointed titular archbishop of Amida (an honorary title) and coadjutor of Archbishop Dunne, whom he succeeded as Archbishop of Brisbane, on 13 January 1917.
Seeing his position as one of service to the community, and having had such wide contact with the State, Duhig also saw his role to be a guiding force in the community. He had great influence upon the development of the state of Queensland. He was involved in many aspects that concerned the community: education, urban development, the arts and the family.
Duhig believed in and enabled close contact between the clergy and the people, and easy access to the church, schools and charitable institutions. During his time he created over fifty new parishes and introduced twenty new orders of religious brothers and sisters.
Throughout his career Duhig also developed his well-known passion for building and the acquisition of properties. Duhig’s biographer recounts how in his early days, to view the Old Gothic St Mary’s in Ipswich, Duhig had had to look down upon it. Duhig went on to devote his years to ensuring he never looked down upon the church either literally or metaphorically in Queensland again (Boland, 1986:72). He was responsible for the building of many churches on top of the many hills that characterise the Brisbane landscape. As Archbishop of Brisbane, "Duhig the builder" added more than 400 major buildings to the Brisbane landscape, including hospitals and educational, charitable and religious institutions. To achieve these aims he spent over 3 million dollars.
The pinnacle was to have been the building of the Cathedral of the Holy Name in Fortitude Valley. The cathedral was to have been the largest to be built anywhere in the world since the seventeenth century. The Laying of the Foundation Stone ceremony for the cathedral in 1928 was spectacular. Over 35,000 people of Brisbane assembled on Duncan’s Hill after a massive procession for the ceremony.
The following year, the Depression hit, and the whole venture crashed. The architect Hennessy, who had shared the dream of a new cathedral for Brisbane, went on to sue Duhig in 1949 for non-payment of fees for plans and specifications he made for the cathedral.
After such a public and spectacular cathedral failure, Duhig was still energetic in leadership in the church and state, but perhaps less ambitious.
Sir James Duhig and the University of Queensland
Throughout his career Duhig was also very much involved in education including the University of Queensland. Duhig joined the Senate of the University of Queensland on 1 July 1916 and from that time he was a revered and valued member of the Senate and remained a Senator until his death in 1965. He took a leading part in the establishment of the University and was considered one of its most active members in its organisation and administration, being a member of various committees and subcommittees. The progress and development of the University was dear to his heart. He established St Leo’s College and was an early advocate for the establishment of a full Medical School at UQ.
James Duhig was also a generous benefactor to the University: he gave valuable scientific equipment to the University as well as seismographic equipment to the Geology Department, at a time when there were no instruments or installations of that type in Australia.
In recognition of his deep commitment and unwavering service to the University of Queensland, the University conferred the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws on Duhig. At the Senate meeting held 4th October 1946 it was unanimously resolved: -
That, in recognition of his deep learning, his public and private contributions to the cultural life of the people of Queensland, his encouragement of movements directed to the advancement of knowledge, his lifelong interest in and courageous pronouncements upon questions affecting the true welfare of the people and his long and devoted service to the University as a member of its Senate and otherwise, the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws be conferred upon the Most Reverend Dr James Duhig, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane. (UQA S1)
The Senate marked the occasion of Duhig’s Episcopal golden jubilee in 1955 by having a portrait of the Archbishop painted. It now forms part of the University Art Museum and a copy hangs on the ground floor of the Duhig building today. In 1966, after extra floors had been added to what used to be called the Undergraduate Library, the University named it the Duhig building in his honour.
Duhig was also honoured around the world with honorary doctorates of Laws from the University of Ottawa in 1947 and the National University of Ireland in 1955. He was also awarded a knighthood (K.C.M.G.) in 1959.
Duhig died on 10 April 1965 in his home at New Farm and was buried in the vault of St Stephen’s Cathedral. At the time Duhig became the bishop of Rockhampton in 1905, he was the youngest Roman Catholic bishop in the world. When he died whilst still in office, he had been the longest serving bishop in office. He had been a bishop for almost 60 years and a priest for nearly 70.
Duhig’s legacy is not only the unrivalled impression he left on the Brisbane landscape, but also the very significant degree of influence he had in shaping and contributing to the religious, social and political life of Queensland. His contribution to education was unparalleled and he is also well remembered for his eloquence as a preacher, his kindness and compassion, and his magnanimity.
Megan Lyneham
University Archives
October 2002
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