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Date
1951
Description
Rev. James H. Dolan, S.J., was born in 1885 in Roxbury, Massachusetts. He graduated from Boston College High School and attended Boston College before entering the Society of Jesus in 1905. Ordained to the priesthood in 1920, he taught philosophy and psychology at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. From 1925 to 1932, he served as President of Boston College, where he created the Law School and was responsible for construction of several important buildings. In 1932, he was appointed assistant to the Provincial for New England and also prefect-general of studies for the province. He held these posts until May of 1937, when he became Provincial himself. In this position he played a leading role in Fairfield’s founding, obtaining permission for the project from the Diocese of Hartford and successfully concluding the purchase of two adjoining estates in Fairfield, Connecticut.
In 1944, he was appointed Rector at Fairfield, exchanging roles with Rev. John J. McEleney, S.J. In 1945 (the earliest date possible under Connecticut law), Fairfield applied for and received a state charter, allowing it to grant academic degrees. In 1947, the Fairfield College of Arts and Sciences welcomed its first class of 303 male undergraduates, holding its first commencement in 1951. Fr. Dolan’s tenure as Rector also saw the 1946 acquisition of the Edward B. Morehouse estate (filling out the southeastern perimeter of the campus) and the 1947 construction of Berchmans and Xavier Halls.
In February 1950, when Fr. McEleney (then Provincial) was appointed Apostolic Vicar of Jamaica, Fr. Dolan temporarily left Fairfield to become Vice-Provincial. While Fr. Dolan fulfilled this role, Rev. W. Edmund FitzGerald, S.J., led Fairfield as Vice-Rector. When Fr. FitzGerald was appointed Provincial in October 1950, Fr. Dolan resumed his duties at Fairfield. In 1951, Fr. Dolan returned to Boston College, fulfilling various roles including professor of philosophy at the College and director of construction and new building for the New England Province until his retirement in 1972. He died at the Campion Center in Weston, Massachusetts in 1977.
Publisher
Fairfield University
Collection
Image Archive
Original Format
Yearbook photograph from the 1951 Manor, p. 8
Digitization Date
2007
Repository
Fairfield University Archives and Special Collections
Copyright
© Fairfield University. This resource may be used for educational or non-commercial purposes. Please direct any questions to digital@fairfield.edu.
Repository Citation
"Rev. James H. Dolan, S.J. – 2nd President of Fairfield University (1944-1951)." 1951. Image Archive. Fairfield University Archives and Special Collections. https://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/image-archive/185.