James Aloysius Griffin

James Aloysius Griffin (February 27, 1883 – August 5, 1948) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Springfield in Illinois from 1924 until his death in 1948.

James Griffin was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Thomas and Catherine (née Woulfe) Griffin. He attended St. Gabriel High School and St. Ignatius College in Chicago before furthering his studies in Rome at Propaganda College, from where he obtained a Ph.D. (1906) and a Doctor of Divinity (1910). While in Rome, he served as secretary to Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val. Griffin was ordained to the priesthood on July 4, 1909. Upon his return to the United States in 1910, he served as a curate at St. James Church in Chicago until 1915, when he was transferred to St. Brendan Church. He served as pastor of Assumption Church in Coal City (1917–1921) and of St. Mary Church in Joliet (1921–1924).

On November 10, 1923, Griffin was appointed the fourth Bishop of Springfield by Pope Pius XI. He received his episcopal consecration on February 25, 1924 from Archbishop George Mundelein, with Bishops Samuel Stritch and Edward Francis Hoban serving as co-consecrators. He dedicated the new Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in 1928. Griffin erected 51 new churches, schools, convents and charitable institutions; the total cost spent in his first ten years was close to $6.5 million. He established Marquette Catholic High School in Alton, and Springfield College.