Evening star., 1945-09-17
Msgr. John A. Ryan, 76, Dies;
Led Fight for Minimum Wooes


Services to Be Held
Wednesday in
CothedroLot st. PouI
Msgr. John Augustine Ryan, rs,
internationally known advocate OF
social betterment and for many
years professor at Catholic Uni
versity. died yesterday in st.
Joseph's Hospital, st. Paul, MINI.
He had suffered a cerebral hemor-
rhage last June 20 and had been
hospitalized since then.
Msgr. Ryan, whose long battle in
behalf Of higher wages and better
living conditions for workmen had
been publicly recognized by both the
Vatican and the White House, will
be buried in Calvary Cemetery, St
Paul, Wednesday after funeral serv-
ices at the cathedral there. Four
brothers and three sisters survive
him.
Archbishop John G. Murray of st.
Paul win celebrate the mass and
the funeral sermon will be delivered
by Bishop Francis Haas of Grand
Rapids, Mich, 1t was announced.
Many Messages Of Coincidence.
Messages Of coincidence and praise
for Msgr. Ryan's work in behalf of
labor poured into the National
Catholic Welfare Conference, of
whose social action department he
was director, yesterday and today.
They came from labor and congress
sional leaders, and Catholic laymen.
Msgr. Ryan long was recognized al
one Of the outstanding prelates
scholars and advocates of social JUS
lice Of the Catholic Church in Amer
lea. Although a lifelong teacher
he frequently left the cloister to
enter the arena of public affairs to
fight for the everyday reforms
which he considered consonsant with
Christianity.
Public recognition OF his long and
useful career was given him on the
occasion Of his 10th birthday In
May, 1889, when cabinet members
Supreme Court justices and high
ranking churchmen rendered him a
dinner at the Willard Hotel.
Lauded by Frankfurter.
On that occasion, Associate Jus
tice Felix Frankfurter epitomized
the judgment OF other speakers
when he said:
1T has been the distinction of
Msgr. Ryan as teacher of theology
to apply dogmas avowedly conserva-
tive to the solution OF problems af-
fecting the welfare of the masses
in ways that have gained him gen.
eral recognition as a foremast lib
eral."
At the same dinner, letter from
the late President Roosevelt, read
to the assembly. praised the pre-
late for the good works you have
wrought through all the years of
your active career"
In 1888, he was named a domestic
prelate by His Holiness Pope Plus
XII with the title of the right rev.
erend monseignor
Msgr. Ryan was born May Is, 1859,
in Dakota County, MINI. educated
in the district schools of that county
in st. Paul at the Christian Broth
ers' High School, at st. Thomas Col
lege and at st. Paul Seminary.
where he completed his theological
studies in 1898. The same year he
entered the priesthood and there
after was a postgraduate student at
the Catholic University of America,
for four years.
Made Professor in 1902.
In 1902, DR.. Ryan became profess
sor Of moral theology at St. Paul
Seminary, his chair later including
ethics and economics, and remained
there until 1915. He then returned
to Washington, which has since been
the center of his academic labors.
DR.. Ryan first served as professor
OF political science. at the Catholic
University where he was professor
of moral theology and industrial
ethics from 1916 to 1897. and where
he is still listed as professor Of So
cial ethics; also as professor of eco
nomics at Trinity College in 1858,
becoming professor of political SCI
ence there in 1925, and jointly with
these posts he has filled the chair
of ethics at the National Catholic
School of Social Science since 1922.
He has been director of the De-
partment of Social Action of the
National Catholic Welfare Confer
ence since 1920.
Msgr. Ryan never hesitated to
speak out frankly on the economic
and political issues Of the day.
Wanted Axis Chiefs Executed.
In 1943 he wrote an article ad-
vocating the execution of Hitler,
Mussolini and the japanese war
lords because Of their crimes against
Pointing out that the
entire populations of the Axis coun-
tries could not be punished, he con-
The most responsible among
them should be put to DEATH"
During the 1896 presidential cam
paign he warmly supported Presi-
dent Roosevelt for reelection and
took issue publicly with Father
Coughlin, the radio priest, who was
one of Mr.. Roosevelt's arch-enemies.
He challenged the radical monetary
theories of the Detroit priest as 80
per cent wrong" and declared that