Virgil Clarence Blum (1913–1990) was an American

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 ...

and professor of

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was established as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, by John Henni, the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Ar ...

Early life and education

Virgil Clarence Blum was born on March 27, 1913, in Defiance,

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, one of twelve children of John and Elizabeth Blum. He entered the

Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...

in 1934 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1947. In 1938 Blum received a bachelor's degree in Latin and English from St. Stanislaus Seminary at Florissant,

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. In 1945 he earned a master's degree in history and

from

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Missi ...

. Blum returned to Saint Louis University in 1950 for doctoral studies, earning a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

degree in political science and

US history The history of the present-day United States began in roughly 15,000 BC with the arrival of the first people in the Americas. In the late 15th century, European colonization began and wars and epidemics largely decimated Indigenous societi ...

in 1954. His area of expertise was

American constitutional law The constitutional law of the United States is the body of law governing the interpretation and implementation of the United States Constitution. The subject concerns the scope of power of the United States federal government compared to the indi ...

and interest-group politics.

Teaching career

From 1953 to 1956 Blum taught at

Creighton University Creighton University () is a private research university in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In 2015 the university enrolled 8,393 graduate ...

. In 1956 he joined the political science faculty at

, receiving promotion to associate professor in 1958 and full professor in 1961. Blum served as chairman of the political science department from 1962 to 1974. In 1978 he was named

professor emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". ...

. During his years at Marquette, Blum served on many university committees, and he received the institution's Teaching Excellence Award in 1966. Blum published twelve books and nearly 400 articles.

Civil rights activism

Embodying the

ideal of the "contemplative in action", Blum pursued public advocacy on behalf of educational reform and religious and

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

. He advocated for parental choice in education through

school vouchers A school voucher, also called an education voucher in a voucher system, is a certificate of government funding for students at schools chosen by themselves or their parents. Funding is usually for a particular year, term, or semester. In some cou ...

for students in private schools. In 1961 Blum helped to found the Wisconsin chapter of Citizens for Educational Freedom (CEF), and he was also active in the national organization, serving on its board of directors and executive committee and, for a time, as its national executive director. Blum traveled the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

giving talks to civil and religious groups, and he often contributed editorials to newspapers throughout the country. In 1973 Blum founded the

Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international instituti ...

and served as its president until 1989. Modeled on the

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. T ...

and Anti-Defamation League, the Catholic League sought to safeguard the religious freedom and free speech of Catholics. In 1983

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

recognized Blum's service by naming him a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

Later life

In 1989 Blum was diagnosed with cancer, and he died on April 5, 1990, in his room at

's Jesuit Residence.

Archival collections

Rev. Virgil C. Blum, S.J., Papers, 1947-199

The collection documents Blum's service activities both within and outside

. It contains no materials from his life prior to ordination in the Society of Jesus. The university-related papers make up only a fraction of the whole: a majority of the collection pertains to Blum's involvement in Citizens for Educational Freedom (CEF) and The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. The collection also contains manuscripts of Blum's articles and presentations as well as copies of his published articles, mostly from popular journals and newspapers. Many of the manuscripts are undated. The collection also contains a variety of audiovisual materials, including some sound recordings of Blum's speaking engagements and video recordings of his television appearances. Blum was a voluminous correspondent, and letters are the most abundant type of document in the collection. He mixed his incoming and outgoing correspondence, and he appears to have maintained several different filing schemes for his letters. Correspondence is scattered throughout the collection. Because Blum's personal and professional lives were so closely intertwined, researchers will find correspondence related to his public advocacy efforts among files labeled as personal correspondence.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blum, Virgil 20th-century American Jesuits 1913 births 1990 deaths Saint Louis University alumni Marquette University faculty Creighton University faculty Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre 20th-century American political scientists American founders