Martin Maloney (November 11, 1848 – May 9, 1929) was a Philadelphia businessman, philanthropist and papal marquis. By the time he was 33 he was regarded as an expert in the process of gas production. He played a role in the development of many Philadelphia gas and light companies.

Philanthropy

Maloney gave $120,000 in 1917 to construct the Maloney Hall at

The Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is one of two pontifical universities of the Catholic Church in the United States – the only one that is not primarily ...

and an additional $100,000 in 1923-24 for what is today the building's 273 seat Della Ratta Auditorium. The philanthropist said he hoped the building would "help our Catholic young men and women rise to the level of the great opportunities, which our nation offers them". James A. Farrell, president of the

United States Steel Corporation The United States Steel Corporation is an American steel company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It maintains production facilities at several additional locations in the U.S. and Central Europe. The company produces and sells steel products, ...

, was a featured speaker at the dedication. In recognition of his many charitable gifts, he was made a papal marquis in 1902 by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII (; born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2March 181020July 1903) was head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 until his death in July 1903. He had the fourth-longest reign of any pope, behind those of Peter the Ap ...

. He was made a member of the

Papal Household The papal household or pontifical household (usually not capitalized in the media and other nonofficial use, ), called until 1968 the Papal Court (''Aula Pontificia''), consists of dignitaries who assist the pope in carrying out particular ceremon ...

in 1904. In the 1920s he funded the re-established (suppressed following the French revolution), the Irish Franciscan College -

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, in Belgium.

Personal life

He was born in Ballingarry, County Tipperary, Ireland, and moved to

Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Scranton is the most populous city in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the ...

when he was six years old. Maloney married Margaret Ann Hewiston of

Carbondale, Pennsylvania Carbondale is a city in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carbondale is located approximately 15 miles due northeast of the city of Scranton, Pennsylvania, Scranton in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The population was 8,828 at the 2020 ...

, in 1868. They had seven children, five of whom predeceased Maloney. He had two brothers, Andrew and Thomas. He lived in the Logan Square neighborhood of Philadelphia. His home there, at 220 West Logan Square, was condemned in 1916 and demolished by the city, along with its entire block, when Logan Square was expanded westward to 20th Street as part of the creation of the

Benjamin Franklin Parkway Benjamin Franklin Parkway, commonly abbreviated to Ben Franklin Parkway and colloquially called the Parkway, is a boulevard that runs through the cultural heart of Philadelphia, the nation's sixth-largest city as of 2020. The parkway is named ...

. Maloney vacationed in Spring Lake Beach, New Jersey, where he had a home called Ballingarry.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maloney, Martin Papal chamberlains American philanthropists Irish emigrants to the United States Businesspeople from Philadelphia People from Ballingarry, South Tipperary 1848 births 1929 deaths Businesspeople from County Tipperary