[2] Nicknamed "Dinny" by his parents,[3] he was the sixth of ten children of Patrick and Bridget (née Henry) Dougherty, who were natives of County Mayo, Ireland.

[6] He remained at Overbook until 1885, when he was sent by Archbishop Patrick John Ryan to continue his studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.

[2] Upon his return to Philadelphia in the summer of 1890, Dougherty was appointed to the faculty of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary as a professor of Latin, English, and history.

[2] He was invited to take the chair of dogmatic theology at the Catholic University of America, but Archbishop Ryan refused to let him leave Overbrook.

[2] He then returned to Philadelphia and recruited five priests to join him in the Philippines, including Daniel James Gercke and John Bernard MacGinley.

[15] War had left many Catholic institutions in a state of disrepair, and several church properties were under the control of Aglipay and his supporters, including the Vigan Cathedral.

[3][21] Bishop Charles H. Colton of the Diocese of Buffalo died in May that year, followed by Archbishop James Edward Quigley of the Archdiocese of Chicago in July.

[22] However, when rumors of Rome's intentions reached the British government, it reportedly objected to having a German bishop like Mundelein so close to the Canadian border during World War I.

[26] Similar to his time as a seminary professor, Dougherty was known as the "strictest disciplinarian...[who] rules his clergy with an iron hand, insists on punctuality, obedience, deference.

[31] In compliance with the state Board of Health's order in October 1918, Dougherty closed all churches and schools to public gatherings.

[32] When the pandemic subsided, Mayor Thomas B. Smith expressed his gratitude to Dougherty by saying, "I look upon the services rendered by the Archbishop and the nuns as one of the most potent aids in making the headway we have toward getting control of the epidemic.

[34] As a cardinal, Dougherty served as a member of the congregations for Discipline of the Sacraments, Rites, Propagation of the Faith, and Oriental Churches.

[35] After briefly returning to Philadelphia, he departed from New York with Cardinal Louis-Nazaire Bégin of Quebec on January 28 but noted that he did not expect to arrive in time for the conclave, which was scheduled to begin on February 2.

"[41] In an address to the graduating class of Villanova University in June 1921, Dougherty denounced plans for a federal Department of Education, saying, "We give notice that we will never permit our Catholic schools to be controlled by a clique of politicians in Washington.

[44] Tensions between Dougherty and the Italian Catholic community reached a high point in 1933, when the cardinal's plan to close the Italian-speaking parish of Our Lady of Good Counsel in South Philadelphia sparked a riot.

[48] The following year he established Holy Savior Church (now St. Ignatius) in West Philadelphia, where the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament also opened a convent in 1925.

[50] In May 1934, Dougherty forbid Catholics in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from entering movie theaters, declaring that the film industry's focus on "sex and crime" was a "vicious and insidious attack...on the very foundations of our Christian civilization.

Due to the decrease in revenue, many studio executives and other public figures begged Dougherty to end the boycott, including Samuel Goldwyn and John B. Kelly Sr.[52] He twice refused to arrange a meeting with Harry Warner.

"[2] On the morning of May 31, 1951, shortly after celebrating a private Mass marking the 61st anniversary of his priestly ordination, Dougherty died from a stroke at his residence.