Kentucky Irish American., 1914-07-11
DORNIN
Was Pioneer Publisher and He
Issued First Catholic
Book.
His Son Was n Commodore I'm
the United States
Navy.
He Enjoyed the Friendship of
the Archbishop of Bal
timore.
Died AT HIS DAUGHTERS HOME
By James A. Rooney.

The retirement OF Commodore
Thomas Aloysius Donrin in 1862
closed the active career of a dis
tinguished Catholic naval officer,
who during a service of forty-seven
years performed all his duties faith
fully and shed luster on the navy,
handling some delicate missions and
assignments with tact and
diplomacy that won the commenda-
tion of the Government. This was
particularly shown when he reached
the grade of Commander in 1S41, in
the service he rendered on an ex-
pedition that successfully prevented
the filibuster, William Walker, from
embroiling us with Mexico by in
vading that country, and also in his
subsequent exploits as Captain In
1855 in suppressing the slave trade,
then at its height.
He was the son of Bernard Dornin
and was born in ireland in 1900.
He was brought to America when
three years old by his father, who
was exiled from his native land with
Thomas Adds Emmett and DR.. Will
lam James McNevin after the re-
bellion of '9S. When but fifteen
years of age young Donrin entered
the navy as midshipman, being ap-
pointed from Maryland. AS Lieu
tenant he made a five years cruise
around the world in 1925, and after
his retirement for age he was so
physically we'll preserved that he
was placed in charge of the Fifth
lighthouse district. On relinquish-
ing his post he lived in retirement
in Savannah, where he died April
%, 1874.
1t is claimed for his father,
Bernard Dornin, that he was the
pioneer publisher in the United
States of distinctively Catholic
books. Some authorities say that
his first book was an edition of the
New Testament printed for him in
Brooklyn, N. Y, in 1905, while 9TH
ers hold that the first book he is
sued was Pastorini's History of the
Christian Church." and that 1t was
published by subscription in 1907.
The list of subscribers in and about
New York numbered 31S. In the
following year he brought out an
edition of DIR. Fletcher's essay on
1.-The Spirit of Controversy, pub
lished about the same time in Eng
land. He then left New York for
Baltimore, where he enjoyed the
friendship of Archbishop Carroll,
and in 1909 he transferred his pub
fishing business to Philadelphia,
where he continued to be the lead
ing Catholic publisher of the coun-
try. After disposing of his business
on account of old age he retired to
his daughters home in Ohio, where
he died in 1886, aged seventy-five
years. If he was the pioneer OF a
new field in New York he did not
want for worthy imitators and fol-
lowers who, with the increase in the
Catholic population, finally devel-
oped a large and prosperous indus
try and made New York the pro-
ducing and distributing point for
Catholic publications of all kinds.
The list of Dornin's successors
would be a large one, but a few OF
the early publications may be men
toned.
Matthew Field published the
Catholic Laity's Directory with an
almanac for the year in 1917 at
lit Bowery.
John Doyle's publishing house
was at 237 Broadway in 1928, and
he issued many devotional and other
books up to 1S49, when he became
one of the argonauts and emigrated
to California during the gold fever.
Buffers "Lives of the Saints" and
the Bible in monthly parts were pub
lished in 1887 by ID. and j. Sadlier,
followed by their series of Metro
politan School Books, all the works
OF Mrs. Sadlier, which had such a
vogue at the time, and they soon
took rank as the leading Catholic
publishers
Edward DUNCAN brought out in
1914 Haydock's Bible, an English
translation of the Latin Vulgate,
first published at Rheims in 1852
and in Douay in 1903. He also pub
lished the early histories of John
Culinary Shea and he took over
Doyle's business on the latter's re-
moval to San Francisco.
Patrick O'Shea published Dar-
ras' History of the Church." in
four volumes, in 1854, followed by
Lingard's History of England" and
Brownson's American Republic"
These were among the pioneers OF
the vast army of Catholic publish
ers who today In every large city
Of the country issue thousands OF
volumes from a press that finds
itself taxed to the utmost to supply
an unceasing and increasing demand
for Catholic literature. - Copy