College of the Holy Cross
Not to be confused with Holy Cross College (Indiana)
The College of the Holy Cross is an exclusively undergraduate Jesuit college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. It was founded by Benedict Joseph Fenwick, SJ, second Bishop of Boston, after his efforts to found Boston College were thwarted by the city's Protestant civic leaders. Opened as a school for boys under the auspices of the Society of Jesus, it was the first Catholic college in New England. The land was purchased in 1836 by the Rev. James Fitton, and the cornerstone was laid in 1843, thereby making it the oldest Catholic college in New England. The first class graduated in 1849, led by their valedictorian James Augustine Healy. Fenwick Hall, the school's major building, was completely destroyed by fire in 1852 and rebuilt in 1853.
At first, the college could not obtain a charter from the anti-Catholic Massachusetts state legislature, and the diplomas were signed by the President of Georgetown University, until a charter was finally granted on March 24, 1865. Today, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The college has approximately 2,700 students and is one of the more racially and socioeconomically homogenous of Worcester's universities. The college is extremely selective in respect to admissions and has a very rigorous academic curriculum. It is consistently ranked among the top liberal arts colleges in the country.
Notable alumni
- Clarence Thomas, United States Supreme Court Justice;
- Tim Bishop, US Congressman;
- Bob Casey, Sr., Pennsylvania governor;
- Bob Casey, Jr., his son, Pennsylvania treasurer and U.S. Senate candidate;
- Billy Collins, Poet Laureate;
- Bob Cousy, Basketball Hall of Fame member and former Boston Celtics player;
- Edward D. DiPrete, Governor of Rhode Island (1985-1991)
- Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institutes of Health;
- Dennis Golden, president of Fontbonne University
- Tom Heinsohn, Basketball Hall of Fame member and former Boston Celtics player;
- Joseph P. Kerwin, astronaut;
- Paul LeClerc, president of New York Public Library
- Chris Matthews, talk show host;
- Michael R. McNulty, US House Representative United States;
- James P. Moran, US House Representative United States;
- Joseph E. Murray, Nobel Prize in Medicine;
- Joseph T. O'Callahan, first chaplain Medal of Honor winner
- James David Power III, US House Representative United States;
- Edward Bennett Williams, famed trial attorney
- Robert C. Wright, NBC Chief Executive Officer.
- Joseph A. Califano, Jr., former United States government official
- Edward P. Jones, 2004 Pulitzer Prize winner in fiction for writing The Known World
- Patrick Francis Healy, former President of Georgetown University;
- James Augustine Healy, first African American Bishop in the United States
- Michael Harrington, Socialist historian
- Philip Berrigan, Author and activist
- Alexander Waid, Founder U.S. Coast Guard Academy Spanish program.
- Bill Simmons, national sports columnist
(LSD pioneer Timothy Leary also attended, albeit briefly.)
The college is part of a consortium with other Worcester colleges, including Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Clark University.