Photograph of James Augustine Healy, Late 19th century

File — Box: 59

Scope and Contents

A carte de visite featuring a photograph of American Catholic prelate James Augustine Healy, styled as “Rt. Rev. James A. Healey.” On the reverse is printed information about the publisher, T.P. McGowan of Portland, Maine. Undated.

Dates

Late 19th century

Conditions Governing Access

Most manuscripts collections at the Georgetown University Booth Family Center for Special Collections are open to researchers; however, restrictions may apply to some collections. Collections stored off site require a minimum of three days for retrieval. For use of all manuscripts collections, researchers are advised to contact the Booth Family Center for Special Collections in advance of any visit.

Biographical / Historical

James Augustine Healy (1830-1900) was born in Georgia to Irish-born plantation owner Michael Morris Healy and a mixed-race enslaved woman named Mary Eliza, whom he took as his common-law wife in 1829. James, the eldest of ten siblings, was sent north for his education, where he passed as white, and entered the priesthood in Boston in 1854, becoming Bishop of Portland, Maine in 1875. Though he did not generally identify as Black during his career, his ethnicity was known, and today he is recognized as both the first Black ordained Catholic priest and first Black bishop in the United States.

Extent

From the Collection: 30 Cubic Feet (68 boxes)

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

From the Collection: Latin

From the Collection: French

From the Collection: Italian

From the Collection: Welsh

From the Collection: Danish

From the Collection: Swedish

From the Collection: Spanish

From the Collection: German

From the Collection: Norwegian

From the Collection: Persian

From the Collection: Japanese

From the Collection: Russian

From the Collection: Greek, Ancient (to 1453)

Additional Description

Related Materials

Healy's papers are held primarily by the College of the Holy Cross, the archives of the Archdiocese of Boston, and the archives of the Diocese of Portland