Edward V. Boursaud was born in New York on September 1, 1840. His parents were French and the family returned to live in France when Boursaud was a child. Boursaud received part of his schooling in France, before returning to the U.S. where he attended Mount Saint Mary’s College in Emmitsburg, Maryland. After graduating in August 1863, Boursaud joined the Society of Jesus at Frederick, Maryland. Two years later, he was made professor of classics at Frederick and then went on to teach poetry at Georgetown. In September 1871 he began seven years of training in philosophy and theology in preparation for the priesthood. He was ordained in 1877 and in 1878 was sent to Boston College as a teacher of poetry and rhetoric. After two years at Boston College, Boursaud returned to Frederick to undertake a year of ascetical study. Following this, he was selected for the position of Secretary to the English Assistant on the Jesuit General’s staff in Rome. In 1884, Boursaud was called back to the United States and, shortly afterward, appointed fifth president of Boston College. During his tenure, from 1884-1887, attendance rose steadily, and the University began offering the Master of Arts degree for the first time.

Father Boursaud had a reputation for being devoted to the poor and to workers; during a strike by streetcar staff he is said to have travelled by workers' barge in solidarity with the strikers. After his time as president of Boston College, he served as its treasurer, taking up the position in 1895. He died March 18, 1902 in Frederick, Maryland.

Sources

Donovan, Charles F., David R. Dunigan, and Paul A. FitzGerald. History of Boston College: From the Beginnings to 1990. Chestnut Hill, MA: The University Press of Boston College, 1990.

"Recent Deaths," The Sacred Heart Review, vol. 27, no.13, March 29, 1902. Accessed June 26, 2013, http://newspapers.bc.edu/cgi-bin/bostonsh?a=d&d=BOSTONSH19020329-01