page_title: William J. Devlin
section_title: Rectorships of Boston College and St. Andrew-on-Hudson
hierarchical_section_title: William J. Devlin / Rectorships of Boston College and St. Andrew-on-Hudson
caption_attribution_description: English: Devlin
context_page_description: William J. Devlin was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit. Born in New York City, he spent many of his early years in Europe, where he was educated at Stonyhurst College in England. Devlin entered the Society of Jesus in Maryland in 1893, and studied at Woodstock College. He became a professor at Boston College in 1910, and eventually became the dean.
  In 1919, Devlin was appointed president of Boston College. His tenure was characterized by an extensive construction campaign, that resulted in several new buildings, including St. Mary's Hall, and the science building, which was later named Devlin Hall. These projects were supported by an ambitious fundraising campaign. He also made the first proposal for what would become Boston College's business school. His presidency came to an end in 1925, and he became the rector of St. Andrew-on-Hudson, a Jesuit novitiate in New York. He left St. Andrew-on-Hudson in 1933, and was made rector of the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola in Manhattan. Two years later, he became ill and eventually retired to the novitiate in Wernersville, Pennsylvania, where he died in 1938.
context_section_description: Devlin became the rector and president of Boston College in 1919, succeeding Charles W. Lyons. Soon after taking office, he received Cardinal Désiré-Joseph Mercier, the Archbishop of Mechelen, on campus. Devlin's presidency was characterized by a substantial building campaign, which resulted in his nickname of the "builder of the super-structures". He oversaw the completion of the construction begun under his predecessors, and began construction on a new science building, on which ground was broken on March 16, 1922. At the same time, he oversaw the start of work on a new library, as well as St. Mary's Hall. To fund the construction of the science building, he initiated a fundraising campaign to raise $500,000 (equivalent to $7.64 million in 2019). That campaign grew into an effort to raise money generally for construction on campus, including for a chapel, gymnasium, and the library. He worked with Cardinal William O'Connell, the Archbishop of Boston, to raise $2 million. This involved assembling a large team of volunteers to solicit donations from the Catholics of Greater Boston; this was aided by public statements of support from Vice President Calvin Coolidge; the Secretary of War, John W. Weeks; Senators David I. Walsh and Henry Cabot Lodge; and Governor Channing H. Cox. The campaign fell short of its goal but raised $1 million. The science building was completed in 1924 and was later named Devlin Hall.
  From 1921 to 1922, Devlin served as consultor to the Jesuit provincial superior. In 1921, he became one of the three founding members of the Jesuits' New England Province, which separated from the Maryland-New York Province. Around 1922, he established the Summer School for Catholic Sisterhoods, which educated religious sisters, and paid visits to a nearby orphanage. The School of Education began awarding advanced degrees in 1919. In 1922, the first proposal was made for the creation of what would become the College of Business Administration. Toward the end of his term, he objected to the recruitment by the College of the Holy Cross of a student and football player at Boston College High School. His presidency came to an end in 1925, and he was succeeded by James H. Dolan.
  In 1925, Devlin became minister at St. Andrew-on-Hudson, the Jesuit novitiate in Poukeepsie, New York. After only a year, he became minister at Woodstock College and then returned to St. Andrew-on-Hudson as rector in 1927. His tenure as rector ended in 1933.
caption: Devlin Hall at Boston College was completed in 1924.
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