Thomas Arthur Connolly

Thomas Arthur Connolly (October 5, 1899 – April 18, 1991) was an American Catholic prelate who served as the fifth Bishop and first Archbishop of Seattle from 1950 to 1975.

[2] In 1930, Connolly was sent to Washington, D.C., to attend the Catholic University of America, obtaining a Doctor of Canon Law degree in 1932.

[3] He received his episcopal consecration on August 24, 1939, from Archbishop John Mitty, with Bishops Robert Armstrong and Thomas Gorman serving as co-consecrators.

[3] In 1941, Connolly was named vicar delegate to the Catholic chaplains serving the US Army and the US Navy in World War II along the Pacific Coast of the United States.

[3] During his tenure, Connolly became known as a "brick and mortar bishop" for his construction of hundreds of Catholic facilities to accommodate the post World War II population growth in the archdiocese.