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John McElroy
Photo: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons12

John McElroy

Jesuit founder of Boston College (1782–1877)

John McElroy (14 May 1782 – 12 September 1877) was a Jesuit priest who founded Catholic schools in the United States. After immigrating to the United States in 1803, McElroy enrolled in Georgetown University in 1806, the same year in which he joined the Society of Jesus as a lay brother.2

From Wikipedia’s article on John McElroy (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born May 14, 1782, died Sep 12, 1877.1

About

His brother Anthony also became a Jesuit. McElroy assumed the management of Georgetown's financial affairs. He was ordained a priest in 1817. In 1822 he was sent to Frederick, Maryland, where he was to remain for 23 years as pastor of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in downtown Frederick. It was in Frederick that he founded St. John's Literary Institution. During the Mexican–American War, McElroy served as an Army chaplain, and on his return from Mexico he went to Boston, where he established Boston College and Boston College High School.

From Wikipedia’s article on John McElroy, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Companies

Early life and education

  • Date not recordedGeorgetown University College of Arts & Sciences3
  • Date not recordedGeorgetown University3

John McElroy was born 14 May 1782 in Enniskillen, Ireland, the younger of two sons. In the hopes of providing a better life for John and his brother Anthony, their father, a farmer, financed their travel to the United States of America. In 1803 the two young men boarded a ship leaving the port of Londonderry and arriving in Baltimore, Maryland, on 26 August. McElroy eventually settled in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., and became a merchant.

From Wikipedia’s article on John McElroy (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Career

Occupation: Catholic priest.8

  • 1861 to 1863Pastor7
  • Date not recordedFounded Boston College4
  • Date not recordedFounded Boston College High School5
  • Date not recordedFounded Saint John's Catholic Prep6

Personal life

  • BornMay 14, 1782, Enniskillen9
  • DiedSep 12, 1877, Frederick10

Sources

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