He had been Auxiliary Bishop to the Archbishop of Glasgow from 1971 to 1974 and was translated to the See of Glasgow in April 1974 on the retirement of Archbishop Scanlan. At the Consistory of November 1994, His Holiness Pope John Paul II named him Cardinal Priest of Sant' Andrea delle Fratte.

The Cardinal's remains were brought to the Archdiocesan Offices on the evening of Monday 18th June, where he lay in state, visited by the people of the Archdiocese, Scotland and beyond. On Sunday 24th June the Cardinal's remains were moved to his Cathedral and the people of the Archdiocese gathered to celebrate the Prayer of the Church.

The following day, at noon, the Funeral Mass began watched by thousands on the live coverage provided by the BBC. Following the funeral Glasgow's first residential Cardinal since the Reformation was laid to rest in the Cathedral Crypt along with three of his predecessors as Archbishop and near his friend and auxiliary bishop Charles Renfrew who had died in office in February 1992.

May he rest in peace.