James Clark (Jesuit)
James Clark SJ (October 21, 1809 – September 9, 1885) was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who led the College of the Holy Cross during the American Civil War as president from 1861 to 1867. Born in Pennsylvania, he was educated at the United States Military Academy and served as an officer in the U.S. Army for one year, before converting to Catholicism and later entering the Society of Jesus.
The Reverend James Clark | |
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Portrait of Clark | |
| 7th President of the College of the Holy Cross | |
| In office 1861–1867 | |
| Preceded by | Anthony F. Ciampi |
| Succeeded by | Robert W. Brady |
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| Born | October 21, 1809 Meadville, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | September 9, 1885 (aged 75) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
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| Ordination | 1847 |
Clark held administrative positions and taught mathematics and the sciences at Georgetown University, before being appointed president of Holy Cross. He was not well received as at Holy Cross, where there were frequent complaints that he was overly strict, which led to his removal. From 1869 to 1875, he was the president of Gonzaga College (later a high school) and oversaw its relocation to a new campus on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., which nearly destroyed the school. He spent his later years at Georgetown.