John Larkin (1801–1858) was a

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

priest, born in England, who settled in

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. There he founded the College of St. Francis Xavier (now Xavier High School) and became president of St John's College (now

Fordham University Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...

Earlier life

John Larkin was born in

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

, England in 1801. He focused on classical studies at

Ushaw College Ushaw College (formally St Cuthbert's College, Ushaw) is a former Roman Catholic Church, Roman Catholic seminary, which until 2011 was also a Colleges of Durham University#Types of College, licensed hall of residence of Durham University near th ...

of the University of Durham. After his studies at Ushaw, he joined the navy and briefly traveled to Hindostan before returning to England to work at firms in Newcastle and London. In 1823 he began studying theology in Paris at the St. Sulpice seminary. He became an ordained priest in 1826 and was sent to

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to teach philosophy. He was appointed Coadjutor Bishop of Kingston, Ontario in 1832, but this did not take effect. It was in Montreal that Larkin joined the

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in 1841, and in 1846 he journeyed to New York City with 50 cents in his pocket.

College of St. Francis Xavier

In 1847, with only five cents remaining from his travels, Larkin founded the College of St. Francis Xavier, now Xavier High School. With his five cents he was able to purchase a former Protestant church at the crossroads of Elizabeth and Walker streets. However, in 1848 a devastating fire destroyed the property. In 1851 a new location was acquired on West Sixteenth Street. During the search for a new location, Larkin received the opportunity to become Bishop of Toronto, a position he declined.

St. John's College

In 1851 Larkin returned to Fordham where he became the President of St. John's College (now

), and for the next three years he "exerted such an extraordinary influence over pupils of all ages as he exercised—an influence that did not cease with the college life, but made itself felt in after years and stamped the future career of many of the men who were disciplined by him as boys." Larkin did encounter issues during his presidency; in particular, there were repercussions when he cancelled the

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holiday, and then there were threats from the Know Nothings. When Larkin's administration cancelled the holiday, Irish students brought cheap marbles and destroyed a majority of the college's windows. The Know Nothings were a group determined to fight the growing influence of German and Irish Catholic immigrants in America. After the fallout from St. Patrick's day, two meetings on Fordham Heights were held by the Know Nothings to plot setting fire to St. John's. However, a blacksmith, Mr. Cole, was aware of these meetings and threatened to expose the group if they continued with their plans. The Know Nothings ceased planning their attempt to burn down the college, but the government decided to provide the college with twelve muskets for protection.Robert I. Gannon, S.J., ''Up to the Present: The Story of Fordham,'' Doubleday & Company, Inc.: Garden City, 1967, 46–49.

Legacy

After he left Fordham in 1854, he was summoned to England, Ireland, and eventually back to New York. Larkin died on December 11, 1858, at Fordham. Larkin Hall, a 27,000-square-foot science building located on the Rose Hill campus, is named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Larkin, John 1801 births 1858 deaths People from County Durham 19th-century English Jesuits Presidents of Fordham University Roman Catholic bishops of Kingston, Canada