List of presidents of Georgetown University

Last updated

The Office of the President is housed in Healy Hall. Georgetown University entrance.JPG
The Office of the President is housed in Healy Hall.

Georgetown University is a private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States that was founded as Georgetown College by Bishop John Carroll of Baltimore in 1789. [2] The president of Georgetown University is its chief executive officer, [3] and from its establishment until the 1960s was also the rector of the university's Jesuit community. [4] The president is elected by and may be removed by the university's board of directors, and is ex officio a member of the board. The president is also one of five members of the university's legal corporation, [3] known as the President and Directors of Georgetown College, which was first chartered by the United States Congress in 1815. [5]

Contents

The president is charged with control over the "business affairs and properties" of the university, and appoints the vice presidents and administrators and, with the concurrence of the board, appoints the provost, secretary, and treasurer of the university. The president may remove any officer, vice president, or administrator by his accord, except the provost, secretary, and treasurer, which require the concurrence of the board. If the office is vacant, then the powers of the presidency are exercised by the provost. [3] The president is among the 100 highest-paid university presidents in the United States. [6]

Of the 41 individuals to have held the office, nearly all have been Jesuits. [4] Only one has been a member of another religious order while president: Louis William Valentine DuBourg, who was a Sulpician. [7] Three presidents have gone on to become bishops: DuBourg, [7] Leonard Neale, [8] and Benedict Joseph Fenwick. [9] Every president has been a Catholic priest except one, the current president, John J. DeGioia. [4] Having assumed office on July 1, 2001, [10] DeGioia is the university's longest-serving president. [4]

Presidents

Key
SJ Society of Jesus
PSS Society of the Priests of Saint Sulpice
Presidents
No.ImageNameYearsNotesRef.
1 Robert Plunkett portrait.png Robert Plunkett SJ1791–1793 [11]
2 Robert Molyneux bust.png Robert Molyneux SJ1793–1796Superior of the Jesuit Maryland Mission (1805–1808) [12] [11]
3 Archbishop Louis William Valentine Dubourg.jpg Louis William Valentine DuBourg PSS1796–1798Founder and President of St. Mary's College (1799–1810); Bishop of Louisiana and the Two Floridas (1815–1826); Bishop of Montauban (1826–1833); Archbishop of Besançon (1833). [7] [11]
4 Archbishop Leonard Neale.png Leonard Neale SJ1798–1806 Coadjutor Bishop of Baltimore (1795–1815); Archbishop of Baltimore (1815–1817) [8] [11]
5 Robert Molyneux bust.png Robert Molyneux SJ1806–1808 [11]
6 Francis Neale.png Francis Neale SJ1808–1809Acting president [11]
7 William Matthews by Parker (cropped).jpg William Matthews 1809President of the Washington Seminary (1824–1848). [13] Georgetown alumnus. [14] Was a Jesuit novice only for the duration of his presidency. [13] [11]
8 Francis Neale.png Francis Neale SJ1809–1812 [11]
9 Giovanni Antonio Grassi portrait.jpg Giovanni Antonio Grassi SJ1812–1817Superior of the Jesuit Maryland Mission (1812–1817); Provincial Superior of the Jesuit Province of Turin (1831–1835); Rector of the Pontificio Collegio Urbano de Propaganda Fide (1840–1842). [15] Sometimes referred to as Georgetown's "second founder." [16] [11]
10 Benedict Joseph Fenwick.png Benedict Joseph Fenwick SJ1817 Bishop of Boston (1825–1846). [9] Georgetown alumnus. [17] [11]
11 Anthony Kohlmann portrait.jpg Anthony Kohlmann SJ1817–1820 Apostolic Administrator of New York (1810–1815); Superior of the Jesuit Maryland Mission (1817–1819); [18] President of the Washington Seminary (1820–1824). [19] [11]
12 Enoch Fenwick SJ1820–1825Georgetown alumnus [20] [11]
13 Benedict Joseph Fenwick.png Benedict Joseph Fenwick SJ1825Acting president [11]
14 Stephen Larigaudelle Dubuisson portrait.jpg Stephen Larigaudelle Dubuisson SJ1825–1826Georgetown alumnus [21] [11]
15 Rev. William Feiner SJ.jpg William Feiner SJ1826–1829 [11]
16 John W. Beschter portrait.jpg John W. Beschter SJ1829 [11]
17 Thomas F. Mulledy.jpg Thomas F. Mulledy SJ1829–1838Provincial Superior of the Jesuit Maryland Province (1837–1840); [12] President of the College of the Holy Cross (1843–1845). [22] Georgetown alumnus. [23] [11]
18 William McSherry portrait.jpg William McSherry SJ1838–1839Provincial Superior of the Jesuit Maryland Province (1833–1837, 1839). [12] Georgetown alumnus. [24] [11]
19 Joseph A. Lopez portrait.jpg Joseph A. Lopez SJ1839–1840Acting president. First Latin American college president in the United States. [25] [11]
20 James A. Ryder biretta (cropped).jpg James A. Ryder SJ1840–1845Provincial Superior of the Jesuit Maryland Province (1843–1845); [12] President of the College of the Holy Cross (1845–1848); President of Saint Joseph's College (1856–1857). [26] Georgetown alumnus. [27] [11]
21 Samuel Mulledy portrait.jpg Samuel Mulledy SJ1845Georgetown alumnus [28] [11]
22 Thomas F. Mulledy.jpg Thomas F. Mulledy SJ1845–1848 [11]
23 James A. Ryder biretta (cropped).jpg James A. Ryder SJ1848–1851 [11]
24 Stonestreet bust drawing.png Charles H. Stonestreet SJ1851–1852Provincial Superior of the Jesuit Maryland Province (1852–1858); [12] President of Gonzaga College (1858–1860). [29] Georgetown alumnus. [30] [11]
25 Bernard A. Maguire profile.png Bernard A. Maguire SJ1852–1858Georgetown alumnus [31] [11]
26 John Early biretta.png John Early SJ1858–1865President of the College of the Holy Cross (1848–1851); President of Loyola College in Maryland (1852–1858, 1866–1870). [32] Georgetown alumnus. [33] [11]
27 Bernard A. Maguire profile.png Bernard A. Maguire SJ1866–1870 [11]
28 John Early biretta.png John Early SJ1870–1873 [11]
29 Patrick F. Healy line drawing.png Patrick Francis Healy SJ1873–1882Self-identified as white but posthumously recognized as the first black American to become a Jesuit, earn a Ph.D. and become the president of a predominantly white American university. [34] Sometimes referred to as Georgetown's "second founder." [35] [11]
30 Doonan bust portrait.png James A. Doonan SJ1882–1888Georgetown alumnus [36] [11]
31 J. Havens Richards portrait.png J. Havens Richards SJ1888–1898 [11]
32 John D. Whitney.jpg John D. Whitney SJ1898–1901 [37]
33 Portrait of Jerome Daugherty.png Jerome Daugherty SJ1901–1905 [37]
34 David H. Buel president of Georgetown.png David Hillhouse Buel SJ1905–1908 [37]
35 Joseph J. Himmel portrait cropped.jpg Joseph J. Himmel SJ1908–1912Rector of St. Andrew-on-Hudson (1915–1921) [38] [37]
36 Alphonsus J. Donlon.jpg Alphonsus J. Donlon SJ1912–1918Georgetown alumnus [39] [37]
37 John B. Creeden 1922.png John B. Creeden SJ1918–1924 [37]
38 Charles W. Lyons SJ.png Charles W. Lyons SJ1924–1928Rector of Gonzaga College (1908–1909); President of Saint Joseph's College (1909–1914); President of Boston College (1914–1919) [40] [37]
39 W. Coleman Nevils.png W. Coleman Nevils SJ1928–1935President of the University of Scranton (1942–1947) [41] [37]
40 Arthur A. O'Leary 1936.png Arthur A. O'Leary SJ1935–1942 [37]
41 Lawrence C. Gorman prayer card 1953.png Lawrence C. Gorman SJ1942–1949 [37]
42 J. Hunter Guthrie fall 1949 cropped.png J. Hunter Guthrie SJ1949–1952 [37]
43 Father Bunn.jpg Edward B. Bunn SJ1952–1964President of Loyola College in Maryland (1938–1947) [42] [43]
44 Gerard J. Campbell.png Gerard J. Campbell SJ1964–1968 [43]
45 Robert J. Henle.png Robert J. Henle SJ1969–1976 [43]
46 Timothy S. Healy.png Timothy S. Healy SJ1976–1989President of the New York Public Library (1989–1992) [44] [43]
47 Anne Frank Awards 2017 (37160909071) cropped.jpg Leo J. O'Donovan SJ1989–2001Georgetown alumnus [45] [43]
48 Georgetown University President Degoia Introduces Secretary Kerry (29612314772) (cropped).jpg John J. DeGioia 2001–2024First lay president of a Jesuit university in the United States. [46] Georgetown alumnus. [4] [47]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benedict Joseph Fenwick</span> American Catholic bishop (1782–1846)

Benedict Joseph Fenwick was an American Catholic prelate, Jesuit, and educator who served as the Bishop of Boston from 1825 until his death in 1846. In 1843, he founded the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. Prior to that, he was twice the president of Georgetown College and established several educational institutions in New York City and Boston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonard Neale</span> American Catholic bishop (1746–1817)

Leonard Neale was an American Catholic prelate and Jesuit who became the second Archbishop of Baltimore and the first Catholic bishop to be ordained in the United States. While president of Georgetown College, Neale became the coadjutor bishop to Bishop John Carroll and founded the Georgetown Visitation Monastery and Academy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Neale</span> American Jesuit priest (1756–1837)

Francis Ignatius Neale, also known as Francis Xavier Neale, was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who led several academic and religious institutions in Washington, D.C., and Maryland. He played a substantial role in the Jesuit order's resurgence in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Kohlmann</span> Alsatian Jesuit educator and missionary

Anthony Kohlmann was an Alsatian Catholic priest, missionary, theologian, and Jesuit educator. He played a decisive role in the early formation of the Archdiocese of New York, where he was the subject of a lawsuit that for the first time recognized the confessional privilege in the United States, and served as the president of Georgetown College from 1817 to 1820.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Molyneux</span> English-American Jesuit (1738–1808)

Robert P. Molyneux was an English-American Catholic priest and Jesuit missionary to the United States. Born to a prominent English family, he entered the Society of Jesus and studied at the College of St Omer in France. When the school moved to Bruges, Belgium, he followed, becoming a master. In 1771, he emigrated to the United States as a missionary, where he took up pastoral work in Philadelphia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Early (educator)</span> Irish-American priest and Jesuit educator (1814–1873)

John Early was an Irish-American Catholic priest and Jesuit educator who was the president of the College of the Holy Cross and Georgetown University, as well as the founder and first president of Loyola College in Maryland. Born in Ireland, he emigrated to the United States at the age of nineteen. Upon his arrival, he enrolled at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Maryland and entered the Society of Jesus, completing his education at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giovanni Antonio Grassi</span> Italian Jesuit missionary, educator, and superior

Giovanni Antonio Grassi was an Italian Catholic priest and Jesuit who led many academic and religious institutions in Europe and the United States, including Georgetown College in Washington, D.C., and the Pontificio Collegio Urbano de Propaganda Fide in Rome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgetown University Jesuit Community Cemetery</span> Historic cemetery at Georgetown University, USA

The Jesuit Community Cemetery on the campus of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., is the final resting place for Jesuits who were affiliated with the university. It was first established in 1808 and was moved to its present location in 1854.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernard A. Maguire</span> Irish-American Jesuit priest

Bernard A. Maguire was an Irish-American Catholic priest and Jesuit who served twice as the president of Georgetown University. Born in Ireland, he emigrated to the United States at the age of six, and his family settled in Maryland. Maguire attended Saint John's College in Frederick, Maryland, and then entered the Society of Jesus in 1837. He continued his studies at Georgetown University, where he also taught and was prefect, until his ordination to the priesthood in 1851.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas F. Mulledy</span> American Jesuit priest (1794–1860)

Thomas F. Mulledy was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who became the president of Georgetown College, a founder of the College of the Holy Cross, and a Jesuit provincial superior. His brother, Samuel Mulledy, also became a Jesuit and president of Georgetown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James A. Doonan</span> American Jesuit educator (1841–1911)

James Aloysius Doonan was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit, who was the president of Georgetown University from 1882 to 1888. During that time he oversaw the naming of Gaston Hall and the construction of a new building for the School of Medicine. Doonan also acquired two historic cannons that were placed in front of Healy Hall. His presidency was financially successful, with a reduction in the university's burdensome debt that had accrued during the construction of Healy Hall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James A. Ryder</span> 19th-century American Jesuit

James A. Ryder was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who became the president of several Jesuit universities in the United States. Born in Ireland, he immigrated with his widowed mother to the United States as a child, to settle in Georgetown, in the District of Columbia. He enrolled at Georgetown College and then entered the Society of Jesus. Studying in Maryland and Rome, Ryder proved to be a talented student of theology and was made a professor. He returned to Georgetown College in 1829, where he was appointed to senior positions and founded the Philodemic Society, becoming its first president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Havens Richards</span> American Jesuit educator (1851–1923)

Joseph Havens Richards was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who became a prominent president of Georgetown University, where he instituted major reforms and significantly enhanced the quality and stature of the university. Richards was born to a prominent Ohio family; his father was an Episcopal priest who controversially converted to Catholicism and had the infant Richards secretly baptized as a Catholic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles H. Stonestreet</span> 19th-century American Jesuit priest

Charles Henry Stonestreet was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who served in prominent religious and academic positions, including as provincial superior of the Jesuit Maryland Province and president of Georgetown University. He was born in Maryland and attended Georgetown University, where he co-founded the Philodemic Society. After entering the Society of Jesus and becoming a professor at Georgetown, he led St. John's Literary Institution and St. John the Evangelist Church in Frederick, Maryland. He was appointed president of Georgetown University in 1851, holding the office for two years, during which time he oversaw expansion of the university's library. The First Plenary Council of Baltimore was held at Georgetown during his tenure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William McSherry</span> American Jesuit priest (1799–1839)

William McSherry was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who became the president of Georgetown College and a Jesuit provincial superior. The son of Irish immigrants, McSherry was educated at Georgetown College, where he entered the Society of Jesus. As one of the first Americans to complete the traditional Jesuit course of training, he was sent to Rome to be educated for the priesthood. There, he made several discoveries of significant, forgotten holdings in the Jesuit archives, which improved historians' knowledge of the early European settling of Maryland and of the language of Indian tribes there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph A. Lopez</span> Mexican Jesuit priest

Joseph Anton Lopez was a Mexican Catholic priest and Jesuit. Born in Michoacán, he studied canon law at the Colegio de San Nicolás and the Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico. He became acquainted with the future Empress consort Ana María Huarte and was made chaplain to the future imperial family. He was later put in charge of the education of all the princes in Mexico. Lopez was a close ally of Emperor Agustín de Iturbide, residing in Madrid for four years as his attorney and political informant, and accompanying him during his exile to Italy and England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John W. Beschter</span> Luxembourg Jesuit missionary

John William Beschter was a Catholic priest and Jesuit from the Duchy of Luxembourg in the Austrian Netherlands. He emigrated to the United States as a missionary in 1807, where he ministered in rural Pennsylvania and Maryland. Beschter was the last Jesuit pastor of St. Mary's Church in Lancaster, as well as the pastor of St. John the Evangelist Church in Baltimore, Maryland. He was also a priest at several other German-speaking churches in Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samuel Mulledy</span> American Jesuit priest (1811–1866)

Samuel A. Mulledy was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who served as president of Georgetown College in 1845. Born in Virginia, he was the brother of Thomas F. Mulledy, who was a prominent 19th-century Jesuit in the United States and a president of Georgetown. As a student at Georgetown, Samuel was one of the founding members of the Philodemic Society, and proved to be a distinguished student, which resulted in his being sent to Rome to complete his higher education and be ordained to the priesthood. Upon his return to the United States, he became the master of novices at the Jesuit novitiate in Maryland, before being named president of Georgetown. He sought to be relieved of the position after only a few months, and returned to teaching and ministry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Feiner</span> German Jesuit missionary

William Feiner was a German Catholic priest and Jesuit who became a missionary to the United States and eventually the president of Georgetown College, now known as Georgetown University.

Enoch Fenwick was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who ministered throughout Maryland and became the twelfth president of Georgetown College. Descending from one of the original Catholic settlers of the Province of Maryland, he studied at Georgetown College in what is now Washington, D.C. Like his brother and future bishop, Benedict Joseph Fenwick, he entered the priesthood, studying at St. Mary's Seminary before entering the Society of Jesus, which was suppressed at the time. He was made rector of St. Peter's Pro-Cathedral in Baltimore by Archbishop John Carroll, and remained in the position for ten years. Near the end of his pastorate, he was also made vicar general of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, which involved traveling to say Mass in remote parishes throughout rural Maryland.

References

Citations

  1. ↑ "National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form: Healy Building, Georgetown University". National Park Service. July 22, 1986. Archived from the original on February 14, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Historical Sketch of Georgetown University". Georgetown University Library. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 "Bylaws of the President and Georgetown College". Georgetown University. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Hinchliffe, Emma (August 26, 2014). "13 Years In, DeGioia Outlasts Predecessors in President's Office". The Hoya . Archived from the original on July 11, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Charter of the University". Georgetown University. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  6. ↑ O'Loughlin, Michael J. (December 15, 2017). "The Highest-Paid Catholic College Presidents". America. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 Chambon 1909
  8. 1 2 McNeal 1911
  9. 1 2 Meehan 1907
  10. ↑ "Biography". Georgetown University. Archived from the original on July 10, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Curran 1993 , p. 404
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Ramspacher 1962 , p. 300
  13. 1 2 Buckley 2013 , p. 101
  14. ↑ Hinkel 1957 , p. 36
  15. ↑ Pizzorusso, Giovanni (2002). "Grassi, Giovanni Antonio". Enciclopedia Italiana di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti (in Italian). Vol. 58. Treccani. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  16. ↑ Horgan 1964 , p. 12
  17. ↑ O'Connor 1998 , p. 42
  18. ↑ Meehan 1910
  19. ↑ Hill 1922 , p. 17
  20. ↑ Curran 1993 , p. 40
  21. ↑ Cline 2004 , p. 679
  22. ↑ "Rev. Thomas F. Mulledy, S.J." College of the Holy Cross. Archived from the original on August 23, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  23. ↑ Shea 1891 , p. 162
  24. ↑ Shea 1891 , p. 118
  25. ↑ Ávila Rueda, Alfredo (March 12, 2019). "Josep Lopez, ¿Quién fue Este Sacerdote que Estuvo a Punto de Capturar a Miguel Hidalgo?" [Joseph Lopez, Who Was This Priest Who was About to Capture Miguel Hidalgo?]. Relatos e Historias en Mexico (in Spanish). Archived from the original on April 29, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  26. ↑ Croce 2017 , p. 14
  27. ↑ Easby-Smith 1907 , p. 48
  28. ↑ Shea 1891 , p. 79
  29. ↑ Hill 1922 , p. 58
  30. ↑ Shea 1891 , p. 177
  31. ↑ J. A. M. 1887 , p. 4
  32. ↑ "Rev. John Early, S.J." College of the Holy Cross. Archived from the original on March 20, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  33. ↑ Mendizàbal 1972 , p. 75
  34. ↑ Greene, Bryan (September 8, 2020). "Born Enslaved, Patrick Francis Healy 'Passed' His Way to Lead Georgetown University". Smithsonian . Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  35. ↑ Curran 1993 , p. 319
  36. ↑ Shea 1891 , p. 285
  37. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Curran 2010a , p. 387
  38. ↑ Burke 1976 , pp. 41–42
  39. ↑ Obituary: Father Alphonsus J. Donlon 1926 , p. 343
  40. ↑ "Father Charles W. Lyons, Former President of B.C. Dead After Long Illness". The Heights . Vol. XIX, no. 16. February 3, 1939. Archived from the original on December 12, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  41. ↑ Homer, Frank X.J. (2015). "Short Biographies of the Former Presidents of St. Thomas College and the University of Scranton". University of Scranton Archives & Helen Gallagher McHugh Special Collections. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  42. ↑ "Edward Bunn, 76, Led Georgetown". The New York Times. June 20, 1972. p. 42. Archived from the original on July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  43. 1 2 3 4 5 Curran 2010b , p. 290
  44. ↑ Prial, Frank J. (January 1, 1993). "Timothy S. Healy, 69, Dies: President of Public Library". The New York Times. pp. A1, A21. Archived from the original on November 23, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  45. ↑ "Leo J. O'Donovan". American Academy in Berlin. Archived from the original on July 21, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  46. ↑ Fahrenthold, David A. (February 18, 2001). "Layman to Head Georgetown". The Washington Post.
  47. ↑ "President DeGioia To Become President Emeritus of Georgetown". Georgetown University. November 21, 2024. Archived from the original on November 21, 2024. Retrieved November 21, 2024.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.