Bishop Michael J. Keyes was appointed to the See of Savannah on July 8, 1922. He was consecrated on October 18, 1922 at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Savannah.

He adopted a conservative financial policy, which enabled him to leave a substantial reserve fund to his successor. He fostered the aims and work of the Catholic Laymen’s Association of Georgia. Bishop Keyes resigned the See of Savannah on September 23, 1935 due to ill health. The reigning pontiff, Pius XI, in accepting his resignation, appointed him Titular Bishop of Areopolis in Palestine and Assistant to the Pontifical Throne. In the ensuing years, Bishop Keyes’ health improved enough for him to resume teaching moral theology at Marist College, Washington, D.C., where he remained active until 1958. On July 31, 1959, Bishop Keyes died.