BLACK IN TIME: A Moment In OUR History

Patrick Francis Healy

On July 26, 1865, After Passing His Final Exams At The University Of Louvain In Belgium, Father Patrick Francis Healy Became The First Black American To Earn A Ph.D.

Healy Began His Career As A Teacher At St. Joseph's College In Philadelphia And Later Was A Professor Of Philosophy At Georgetown University In Washington, DC. He Served As President Of Georgetown From 1874 -1882, Becoming The First Black American To Run A Historically White University. So Profound Was His Impact At The School, He Is Often Referred To As The "Second Founder Of Georgetown," Following Archbishop, John Carroll.

Born In Macon, Georgia, Healy Was The Son Of An Irish Plantation Owner, Michael Healy And A Mulatto Slave Mother, Mary Eliza. Healy's Brother Was James Augustine Healy, The First Black Roman Catholic Priest And Bishop. Patrick Healy, Himself, Was Trained As A Jesuit Priest.

In His Later Years He Preached At New York's Ignatius Church And St. Joseph's College.

He Died In 1910, At Georgetown And Is Buried On The Grounds, At The Jesuit Cemetery There.

"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.



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