Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 05.djvu/440

 ilL'GllES

HUGHES

ment, was the first Catholic appointed as chap- lain of the National Guard of the state, and as sucli conducted the Catholic services at the Niantic encampment. In 1894 he was relieved of the duties of vicar-general, after forty -two years' service, and was succeeded by the Rev, John A. Mulcahy of Waterbury. He was a memlier of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. He received the degree of LL.D. from St. John's college, Fordhani, in 1891. He died in Hartford. Conn., Aug. 7. 1895.

HUGHES, John, R.C. archbishop, was born in Analoglian. near Clogher, county Tyrone, Ireland. June 24. 1797; son of Patrick and Margaret (McKenna) Hughes. His father was a small farmer in com- fortable financial cir- cumstances. The boy received his early edu- cation at a little school in Clogher and at the high school at Auglinacloy. "When eighteen years old his father became so reduced in fortune that John was taken from school to help on the farm. He gave his evenings and spare moments to study. His father then placed him with the gardener of "Favor Royal. " the family seat of the Montrays, that he might study horticulture. He had how- ever, determined to enter the priesthood and directed his study to that end. His father's affairs went from bad to worse, and in 1816 he decided to take his second son Patrick and seek his fortune in America. They settled in Cham- bersburg. Pa., and in 1817 John followed. He engaged with a gardener in Baltimore, and when the season was over lie returned to Cliambers- burg. where he worked at anj- manual labor he could find. In August, 1818, the entire family were re-united in their new home in America, the industry of the father and sons having accom- plished this end. John applied for admission to Mount St. Mary's college at Emmittsburg. Md., where he offered to give his services as gardener to pay his tuition, and in November, 1819, lie was accepted. Father Dubois, afterward bishop of New York, agree<l to see that he received private in.struction until he could pass examination to enter the reg\ilar classes, and then to pay his way by teaching the younger pupils. He was received as a regular student at the beginning of the fall term of 1820, and lie was ordained a deacon in 182") and on Oct. 15, 1826, was elevated

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to the priesthood bj- Bishop Conwell of Philadel- phia. His first parish was the mission of Bedford in Western Pennsylvania, where he remained two years, when he was called to Philadelphia and given charge of St. Augiistine's church. He went next to St. Joseph's and afterward built St. John's church, which under liis care became the principal Roman Catholic cliurcli inPliiladel- pliia. In the fall of 1829 Bishop Conwell, needing an assistant to administer the affairs of the diocese and to be his i>robable successor, named Father Hughes to the holy see as eminently fitted for the position, but his recommendation was disregarded and the Rev. Francis P. PCen- rick was chosen. I i 18.'^3 he had a famous con- troversy with, the r V. John Breckenridge of the Presbyterian chuif li, and the same year he was named as a candidate for the vacant bish( [iric of Cincinnati. His claims were presented to the cardinal prefect at Rome by Bishop England and through an accidental confusion of names the Rev. John B. Purcell was named under the appre- hension that the wish of Bishop England was being carried out. On April 16. 1837, Father Hughes was appointed coadjutor to Bishop Dubois by the council, and on Nov. 8 he re- ceived formal notice that he had been cliosen. He was consecrated bishop of Basileopolis in partibus infidelium, and coadjutor to the bishop of New York, Jan. 7, 1838, at the Cathedral of St. Patrick, New York city, by Bishop Dubois, assisted by Bishops Kenrick and Fenwick, anil he was made administrator of the diocese in August, 1839. On Dec. 21, 1842. Bishop Dubois died and Bishop Huglies became his .successor. He founded St. John's college and removed St. Joseph's Theological seminary to Fordham, N.Y., and these institutions were formally opened June 24. 1841. In April, 1846, the legislature of New Y^ork chartered St. John's college as a univer- sity and the same year it passed, by wish of Bishop Hughes, under the charge of the Jesuit fathers. In May, 1844. Bishop Hughes met the threatened riot in New York provoked by the Native American party, which had been successful in electing a mayor, and his conservatism and wise council prevented a repetition of the fearful scenes enacted in Philadelphia. On March 10, 1844, the Rev. John McCloskey was consecrated his coadjutor. In 1846 he was summoned to "Washington to confer with James Buchanan, secretary of state, relative to the ]\rexican war and the possibility of a peaceful solution of the question. In 1847 he was invited by John Quincy Adams, John C. Calhoun and other distin- guished statesmen to prt^ach before congress in the national capitol and his text was "Chris- tianity the only Source of Moral, Social and Political Regeneration. " In the fall of 1850