There, Thomas operated a grocery store in Ballinrobe and young James received his early education. After falling ill with tuberculosis in 1839, his father moved the family to his native Ireland, where he believed the air would benefit him. His parents were from Tourmackeady, County Mayo, Ireland, and settled in the United States after moving to Canada. The fourth of six children, James Gibbons was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Thomas and Bridget (née Walsh) Gibbons. In 1886, he was appointed to the College of Cardinals, becoming only the second cardinal in the history of the United States, after John Cardinal McCloskey, Archbishop of New York. He defended the rights of labor and helped convince Pope Leo XIII to give his consent to labor unions.

During his 44 years as Baltimore's archbishop, Gibbons became one of the most recognizable Catholic figures in the country. In 1877, Gibbons was appointed Archbishop of Baltimore, the premier episcopal see in the United States. In 1872, he was named Bishop of Richmond by Pope Pius IX. He attended the First Vatican Council, where he voted in favor of defining the dogma of papal infallibility. He was 34 years of age, serving as the first Apostolic Vicar of North Carolina. The principal consecrator was Archbishop Martin J. Gibbons was consecrated a bishop on August 16, 1868, at the Baltimore Cathedral. He was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 1886.

James Cardinal Gibbons (J– March 24, 1921) was a senior-ranking American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Apostolic Vicar of North Carolina from 1868 to 1872, Bishop of Richmond from 1872 to 1877, and as ninth Archbishop of Baltimore from 1877 until his death.

Cardinal gibbons