Bernard A. Maguire, SJ Papers

Collection

Identifier: GTA-GAMMS17

Request

Scope and Contents

The Bernard A. Maguire, SJ Papers contain entries from a diary he maintained at Georgetown College between 1839 and 1870; theology lecture notes while a seminarian at Georgetown; two 1853 indentures related to the sale of land; incoming correspondence from both of his tenures as President, although not all content pertains to the College; printed material, with some regarding his death in 1886; and an undated commencement speech he gave at his alma mater, St. John's Literary Institution.

Dates

Creation: 1848 - 1886

Creator

Maguire, Bernard A., 1818-1886 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

All published documents housed in the University Archives are open for use. Unpublished documents are governed by the following use restrictions: unpublished material dating from 1971 and later may only be consulted with the permission of the office which created it; unpublished material dating from 1970 or before may be used with the permission of the Archivist or the creating office, unless otherwise restricted.

Biographical Note

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Bernard A. Maguire (1818-1886) was born in Edgeworthstown, County Longford, Ireland. His family emigrated to the US when he was six and settled in Frederick, Maryland, where he attended St. John’s Literary Institution. Maguire entered the Society of Jesus in 1837, completing his noviceship at Frederick (1837-1839) and juniorate (1839-1840) and philosophy (1840-1842) at Georgetown College. He taught at Frederick (1842-1843) and Georgetown (1843-1846) during his regency and continued at Georgetown for his theology (1846-1850). After ordination in 1851, he completed his tertianship at Frederick.

Maguire served as President of Georgetown College from 1853 to 1858 and again from 1866 to 1870. During his first term, enrollment nearly doubled, the Dramatic Association was founded, and the younger preparatory students were relocated to the Small Boys Building (now Maguire Hall). Campus improvements included new gardens and a large greenhouse. Following his first presidency, Maguire held positions at St. Joseph’s (Baltimore, 1858-1859), St. Aloysius (Washington, DC, 1859-1864), and Frederick (1864-1865).

His second term as President focused on rebuilding the College after the Civil War. He oversaw renovations to Old North, including a new roof and extension of the towers; construction of a stone wall at the front of the grounds; and the establishment of the Law Department in 1870. Afterward, Maguire served at St. Aloysius (1870-1875) and engaged in missionary work out of Holy Cross, Worcester (1875-1877), and St. Mary’s, Boston (1878-1885). He was briefly stationed at Gonzaga College, Washington, DC, before his death in Philadelphia while conducting a retreat at St. Joseph’s.