Born in
Baltimore,
Maryland, Foley's parents were Irish immigrants. He attended local schools, and at the age of eighteen was graduated from
St. Mary's College, Baltimore with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then attended St. Mary's Seminary and was ordained a priest of the
Archdiocese of Baltimore on August 16, 1846.[2] Foley served as pastor at Baltimore Cathedral for 20 years and, in turn,
Chancellor, Vicar-General, and Administrator of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
Chicago
On November 19, 1869, Foley was appointed Coadjutor Bishop and Administrator of
Chicago for the incapacitated Bishop
James Duggan. On February 27, 1870, Foley was consecrated
titular bishop of Pergamum at the
Baltimore Cathedral. The principal consecrator was Bishop
William G. McCloskey of Louisville. He was installed as coadjutor bishop at St. Mary's Cathedral on March 10.[3]
Foley was in Champaign, Illinois, to administer confirmation when, in October 1871, the diocese lost nearly a million dollars in church property in the
Great Chicago Fire.[4] He quickly set about rebuilding. On November 21. 1875, Foley dedicated the new Cathedral of the Holy Name, designed by
Patrick Keely.[5]
Bishop Foley invited the Franciscans, Vincentians, Servites, Viatorians, and Resurrectionists to establish parishes and schools. In 1876, disagreements with
Mother Mary Alfred Moes of the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate of
Joliet led to her relocating to Minnesota, where she founded St. Mary's Hospital, which later led to the establishment of the Mayo Clinic.[6]
At his request, the Diocese of Peoria was established in 1877. Also in 1877, Foley named
John McMullen as his
vicar general. McMullen would manage the diocese as administrator upon Foley's death, and later became the first bishop of the
Diocese of Davenport.
After nine years as Bishop and administrator of Chicago, Foley died in office on February 19,
1879 before he could succeed as Bishop of Chicago. Bishop Duggan resigned the following year.