page_title: Patrick Francis Healy
hierarchical_section_title: Patrick Francis Healy
caption_attribution_description: Rev. Patrick Francis Healy, S.J. (1834-1910)
context_page_description: Patrick Francis Healy was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who became an important president of Georgetown University, resulting in his being known as its "second founder." Though readily passing as white and self-identifying as such, Healy would be posthumously recognized as the first black American to earn a Ph.D., to become a Jesuit, and to become the president of a predominantly white university.
  Born in Georgia, Healy was legally a slave by birth, as his mother was one-eighth black and his father was a white Irish immigrant, who, in the eyes of the law, owned his wife and children as slaves. Desiring to remove him from such conditions, Healy's father sent him north to be educated, first in New York and then at the College of the Holy Cross. Raised in a family that produced many Catholic leaders, Healy decided to become a priest, and entered the Society of Jesus. After his initial studies and teaching, he was sent to Europe to continue his higher education. In 1864, he received his doctorate in philosophy from the Catholic University of Louvain, and returned to Georgetown University to become the chair of philosophy.
context_section_description: Patrick Francis Healy (February 27, 1834 – January 10, 1910) was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who became an important president of Georgetown University, resulting in his being known as its "second founder." Though readily passing as white and self-identifying as such, Healy would be posthumously recognized as the first black American to earn a Ph.D., to become a Jesuit, and to become the president of a predominantly white university.
  Born in Georgia, Healy was legally a slave by birth, as his mother was one-eighth black and his father was a white Irish immigrant, who, in the eyes of the law, owned his wife and children as slaves. Desiring to remove him from such conditions, Healy's father sent him north to be educated, first in New York and then at the College of the Holy Cross. Raised in a family that produced many Catholic leaders, Healy decided to become a priest, and entered the Society of Jesus. After his initial studies and teaching, he was sent to Europe to continue his higher education. In 1864, he received his doctorate in philosophy from the Catholic University of Louvain, and returned to Georgetown University to become the chair of philosophy.
  Healy was promoted to prefect, and in 1874, was made the president of Georgetown University. While his fellow Jesuits were aware of his mixed race, he was widely regarded by the public as white. Healy's tenure would encompass a period of significant growth and reform of the university. Seeking to transform the institution into a modern university, Healy broadened the curriculum to more fully incorporate the sciences. He also raised the standards of the School of Medicine, and saw rapid growth of the Law School. Healy's most visible contribution to Georgetown was the construction of a grand, new building that would later become known as Healy Hall. While the building was largely completed during his tenure, it left the university in tremendous debt.
  Experiencing declining health, Healy resigned the presidency in 1882, and went to live in Maine with his brother, James, the Bishop of Portland. The two traveled extensively throughout Europe. Afterwards, Healy returned to perform pastoral work in Rhode Island and New York City, before once again moving to Georgetown, where he died.
caption: Healy in 1872
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