Edward Joseph Dunne (April 23, 1848 – August 5, 1910) was an Irish-born prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Dallas from 1894 until his death in 1910.
Dunne was ordained to the priesthood in Baltimore for the Archdiocese of Chicago by Bishop Thomas Becker on June 29, 1871.[3]
On his return to Chicago, Dunne was named a curate under Reverend Patrick William Riordan (a relative and later Archbishop of San Francisco) at St. John's Parish in Chicago.[1] He was transferred in 1873 to St. Mary's Parish, then in 1875 was named pastor of All Saints Parish, both in Chicago.[2] Dunne build a church at All Saints in 1880 and a parochial school.[1] He also served as financial overseer for the archdiocese.[1]
In early 1884, Dunne was sent to St. Anthony of Padua Parish in San Antonio, Florida for health reasons. Spending six months in San Antonio, he was credited by The Catholic Review with advancing the development of a Catholic school. Two weeks after Easter on April 29, 1884, largely due to Dunne's efforts, St. Anthony Catholic School was officially established and began holding formal classes in the parish church.[4] Dunne returned to All Saints Church in Chicago later in 1884.
During his tenure, Dunne opened several educational institutions, including Holy Trinity College (later named the University of Dallas).[5] He established St. Paul Sanitarium in Dallas, and St. Anthony's Sanitarium, which was the first hospital in Amarillo.[1] He also erected Sacred Heart Cathedral.[5] During his sixteen years as bishop, the number of churches increased from 28 to 90, and the Catholic population tripled in size.[1]
