Dates

• Existence: 1840 - 1920

Biographical Note

Edward I. Devitt, Jesuit, professor, and Boston College president. Born in New Brunswick, Canada, in 1840, Devitt's family moved to Boston when he was a child. He attended public schools and graduated from Boston English High School in 1857. He attended Holy Cross College for two years, then entered the Jesuit novitiate at Frederick, Maryland, in 1859. Having studied at Frederick for four years, Father Devitt was sent to Washington to teach at Gonzaga College preparatory school. He then studied at the Jesuit seminary at Woodstock, Maryland, and, after his ordination, taught philosophy at Woodstock College and at Holy Cross College. Father Devitt came to Boston College as rector and ninth president in 1891. During his tenure, he paid particular attention to the development of the college's library, increasing the size of the collection to over 23,000 volumes and helping to reorganize storage across three accessible rooms. After leaving Boston College in 1894, Devitt served as Curator of Historical Archives at Georgetown University. He died in 1920.

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