Thomas Joseph Shahan

An inventory of the Thomas J. Shahan Papers at The American Catholic History Research Center and University Archives

Biographical Note

Thomas Joseph Shahan, fourth rector of The Catholic University of America, was born on September 11, 1857, the son of Maurice and Mary Anne (Carmody), in Manchester, New Hampshire. He received his education in the Millbury, Massachusetts public schools, followed by studies at the Sulpician College, Montreal (1872-1878) and the North American College, in Rome (1878-82). He was ordained in 1882. Before he joined the Catholic University faculty in 1891 as a teacher of church law and patrology, he served as curate of St. John's (New Haven, Connecticut) and as Bishop Lawrence McMahon's secretary and the chancellor of the Hartford diocese. From 1889-1891, Shahan studied at the University of Berlin and at the Sorbonne and Institut Catholique (Paris), in preparation for his new teaching assignment. From 1909 until 1928 Shahan served as rector of the Catholic University of America. During this time, the faculty was expanded, student enrollment increased, and several buildings were raised or begun. The most significant of these buildings was the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, dedicated to the Mother of God, for whom Shahan was noted to have a special personal devotion.

Shahan worked not only as an administrator but also as a scholar, writing and publishing numerous essays and sermons, many of which were published. His interests were not confined to academics or religion per se, but also included the cause of Irish nationalism, a heartfelt concern that he supported by writing against the alleged atrocities of the British and by supporting Ireland's independence. His parents had emigrated from Ireland, and so his bond with Ireland was a most immediate one.

Shahan's time as rector was not without controversy. The case of Rev. Henry Poels, an associate professor of Sacred Scripture, and his disagreement with a decree issued by the Pontifical Biblical Commission in 1909 (stating that Moses was for the most part the Pentateuch's author), went so far that Shahan was advised, at an audience with Pope Pius X in Rome, that if Poels continued to disagree with the decree and his teaching reflected this, Poels would have to be dismissed. Rev. Blase Dixon, in his doctoral dissertation on Shahan's rectorship, considered this a crucial point in Shahan's career. Another crucial point was the exclusion of African American students from the University. In 1914, Charles H. Wesley, a student at Howard University, was denied permission to pursue graduate studies at Catholic University. Complete exclusion of African Americans was in effect by 1919, and Dixon lays the blame for this policy squarely on Shahan (unlike the Poels case, where action was taken from above). In addition to problems with the faculty and students, questions arose about financial concerns; at a time when the University was in need of funds for its daily functions, the National Shrine received the lion's share of donations. But Shahan's legacy, beyond the immediate controversies of his time, is that of a man dedicated to the expansion of the University as a light of Catholic education, reflecting the tradition of Europe's great universities both in character, and in the development of its students.

Shahan was instrumental in the creation of the Catholic Sisters College and of the National Catholic War Council (and its successor, the National Catholic Welfare Conference); he was a founder of the Catholic Education Association (later the National Catholic Educational Association) as well as its president for a time concurrent with his rectorship at the Catholic University. He was also a founder and the president of the National Conference of Catholic Charities (now Catholic Charities U.S.A.). During his time as rector, as World War I affected both teachers and students, Shahan vigorously maintained the importance of The Catholic University of America as a resource for the needs of the nation, and this is evident in his writings, particularly in a statement addressed to "Students! Alumni! Parents!" (dated May 26, 1917). After the war, the needs of wounded soldiers were attended to at the Wounded Soldiers Rehabilitation School. While he maintained strict discipline for teachers and students alike, he was also a man sympathetic to human need, writing condolence notes to the families of those students who died in the war, and championing the needs of students requesting scholarships in order to study at the University. The importance of a Catholic education, the role of religion in the lives of those who were a part of the University's life, the role of Catholic University itself as a leader amongst universities and an example of both scholastic excellence and religious devotion- these were the hallmarks of Shahan's life and his life's work. He served the Catholic University from 1891 through 1928, about half his life. In the years after leaving the rectorship, Shahan kept writing and maintained contact with the University and the Shrine. Over the course of his lifetime, he had been honored with such titles as titular bishop of Germanicopolos, and being named fellow of the Medieval Academy of America. He died on March 9, 1932, and was buried in the crypt of the National Shrine.

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Scope and Contents

The Thomas J. Shahan Papers consist of correspondence, memos, notes taken by Shahan as a student; bibliographical notes created by Shahan during his scholarly research, writings (both unpublished and published); financial papers (both personal and related to the University), materials that relate to the National Shrine; clippings, memos, and publications on the subject of Irish Nationalism; and photographs of Shahan and others.

The series, "Personal Papers Relative to Family and Estate," includes four subseries. The notes Shahan took as a student, in a small, careful hand, are in English and other languages, often on lined paper bound into booklet form, and seem to be verbatim lecture notes. The "Personal Papers Relative to Family and Estate" include such items as condolence notes to Shahan on the death of his mother and of his father, a medal (the Grand Cross of the Order of the Paladins), given "in recognition of distinguished and outstanding service rendered the Catholic Students' Mission Crusade (June 1, 1927), Shahan's passport, dated 1923; and a certificate in Latin, dated August 25[?], 1813, which may have something to do with one of Shahan's ancestors. Tributes to Shahan, made upon his retirement and at his death, are in two folders, a statement of the high regard in which he was held. Because the tributes made after Shahan's death would have been gathered by another person and included with this collection, it is an example of tampering with provenance. The "Financial and Business Dealings" subseries includes receipts for everything from property rentals and poll taxes to groceries, plus checks (both canceled and blank), bank books, stocks, correspondence relating to payments and investments, etc. This series indicates Shahan's care in keeping track of details, great and small, pertaining to business transactions and matters that regard his family.

The "Correspondence" series, with three subseries, is the largest series in the collection (both in terms of items and in linear feet). The subseries "Correspondence up to 1909" actually spans the period from circa 1897 to 1919. Some items of interest include a letter from Col. Buell(?) to "Lou" concerning Jack Berry; this includes a passing mention of Buell's anti-Irish feelings. There are letters from John Quinn (in the general "Q" folder), concerning William Butler Yeats, expressing an interest in having Yeats speak at the Catholic University of America. In the W.B. Yeats folder, there is a TNs (typed note, signed) from Yeats to Shahan, with the signature smeared yet still recognizable. Yeats thanks Shahan for information on symbols (which Shahan presumably supplied), and praises the Catholic University of America: "You have surely a great University and I wish we had its like in Ireland." Letters in this subseries (as in "Correspondence 1909 through 1932") are both personal and business-oriented in content; an interesting example is from S.L. Zink, of Gillette Sales Col. (in the general "G" folder), that accompanied a safety razor sent to Shahan, and provided instruction for its use. Even before taking on the rectorship, Shahan kept his correspondence, perhaps with an eye toward posterity.

In the subseries "Correspondence 1909 through 1932", not all the items are either from or to Shahan, although the majority are addressed to him. Shahan's correspondence with Ella F. Lynch, who had founded the International League of Teacher-Mothers (home-schooling for children ages 2-14), fills two folders (ca. 1929-1931). Another extensive collection of communications is with Anna Frances Levins (ca. 1917-1924), a photographer with her own studio, with whom Shahan had a long-term friendship of a paternal, religious nature. Not all the communications have a positive tone; a brief note from P.J. O'Flynn, of St. Pius Rectory (dated Oct. 28, 1932) has twofold importance: it conveys O'Flynn's anger at the Catholic University of America because of then-rector Rev. James Hugh Ryan's perceived anti-Irish articles in an allegedly pro-British publication, and because it is dated months after Shahan's death. It is addressed to "Gentlemen," not to Shahan, and was included in the collection by someone other than Shahan. This is yet another notable instance of outside interference with the collection's contents.

In the subseries "University Affairs," materials are not restricted to correspondence per se, but also include financial information about the University (e.g., balance sheets), minutes of meetings, various reports, etc. The memoranda frequently are not personalized to Shahan; the impression is that the items dated from 1928-1932 were sent to him as they were to other faculty members and administrators. Some of the communications are personalized to individuals other than Shahan. It is not clear if these were sent to Shahan from the addressees, or if another person added these to the collection after Shahan's death. It may be yet another indication of tampering with the collection's contents. Box number 21 is the only restricted box in the entire collection, with documents pertaining to professors and students, and a significant number on disciplinary matters. They prove interesting not only because frequently they are from parents requesting that Shahan be lenient with their sons who have been disciplined by the University, but also because of the various reasons for suspension or dismissal. The items in this box are the only ones in the collection deemed sensitive enough to restrict, as descendants of those involved at the time may still have ties to the University.

"Writings and Essays," organized into three subseries, includes writings by Shahan in unpublished and published forms. Usually the unpublished works are in typescript form; the published works include pamphlets, magazines, one set of page proofs, etc. Some works are in both forms and while the majority of works are in English, some writings are not: e.g., "Bobbio" and "St. Columbanus," are in Italian. The unpublished works sometimes have a few notations; among the published works, there are a few interesting items: one copy of "The Catholic University of America, 1889-1916" (a pamphlet) has a folded, typed letter to Shahan. A few of the published items have been signed by him. Among the published works are some that are not by Shahan, but which sometimes pertain to him or are not related to Shahan at all; these include "Extraits D'Auteurs Catholiques Francais" (by Andr¢e Ben¢eteau) and a bound copy of "The Little Flower," presented by its author, Rev. Daniel L. Healy, Shahan. Box 34 contains clippings (another subseries), usually of published articles that have been torn out of the original magazines in which they appeared. The entire series reflects Shahan's range of scholarly interests, including church history, religious practices (e.g., the Eucharist, prayer, etc.), and biographies of several saints, as well as responses to events, such as an essay on the burning of Cork. These writings indicate Shahan's awareness of his role as the leader of a Catholic University, and the regard for him as a religious leader (as evinced by the number of his sermons published in newspapers).

The "Reference and Research" series has a varied set of subseries. The "Misc. Notes, Mostly Bibliographical" are for the most part handwritten notes on small pieces of paper that are somewhat delicate, though not particularly brittle. Materials relating to the Shrine, in the next subseries, include correspondence about the Shrine as it was being designed and built, financial matters, etc. The two subseries relating to participation or interest in Irish-American concerns contain not only materials that support Irish independence, but also those against it; in particular there are a number of writings by George Fox. Much of the material in the Irish-related subseries is propaganda, but here also are items of correspondence, membership information for the Friends of Irish Freedom, publications relating to India's fight for freedom, etc. A number of the items pertaining to Irish Nationalism are correspondence that involve or are addressed to Joseph Dunne, though it is unclear how they came to be included in the collection. Overall, the series reflects Shahan's scholarly interests as they progressed (in the first subseries), some aspects of the National Shrine as a project in progress (in the second subseries), and Irish concerns not only as a source of personal interest, but also because religious matters were inextricably bound into the struggle for freedom and recognition for Ireland (in the last two subseries). While this series certainly cannot reflect all of Shahan's work as he researched, collected, and maintained files that would serve both present and future scholarly needs, it reaffirms Shahan's eye for details and how he (and also perhaps McKenna, Nolan, and Dixon) perceived these materials as work that served well to represent this scholar's unsung labors.

The photos date from approximately the 1860's to the 1920's. One photo may be a tintype; the other photos are from unidentified processes, and there are no negatives. The photos include studio portraits and photos taken at events, as well as images of the College de Montreal and the interior of an unidentified office. The portraits of Shahan range from his boyhood to a time during or around the time of his rectorship; there is also a photo of two nuns, both identified as cousins of Shahan. The four photos from 1921 are of grave markers; it seems Shahan was part of the process of deciding which would be appropriate, but it is not clear for whom the markers were intended. These few photos, while mostly portraits, offer a useful accompaniment to the time line of Shahan's life.

The so-called Nolan-Dixon Deposit contains materials that were alienated from the Shahan collection, moved to Philadelphia, and kept at the residence of the Msgr McKenna, at Holy Angels Rectory. Efforts to return these materials to the Catholic University of America are documented in the reference folder for the collection (kept in the Catholic University Archives office). The remaining folders in the series comprise McKenna's typed notes created in the process of preparing a biography of Shahan, as well as correspondence addressed to McKenna, and reports by researcher Bernard Popesh on his work to support the Shahan biography. From the evidence, McKenna never completed his biography of Shahan. His approach was more reverential than objective, yet it would still merit the attention of researchers to see not only an early biography of Shahan, albeit incomplete, but a more contemporaneous approach than Dixon's work.

Finally, the oversize series, housed in two oversize boxes, contains several large documents and awards, many framed, which reflect Shahan's professional accomplishments. There are also newspaper clippings and publications relating to Irish nationalism and independence.

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Arrangement

The Thomas J. Shahan Papers consists of seven series:

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

There are access restrictions on box 21.

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Administrative Information

Custodial History

The Shahan papers came to The Catholic University of America (CUA) Archives in several accessions. There appears to have been an original accession from Shahan, his estate, or his family but there is no accession record. There is also a provenance issue relating to the CUA Rectors' (later known as the President) records since there is extant Shahan material there, some 6.25 feet, but no clear delineation between what went to the Shahan papers and what remained in the Rector's records. Thus, for a more complete account of Shahan's life and actions one must examine his personal papers, the CUA Rector's records, and material in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia which appears to have been alienated from CUA by Shahan's secretary Monsignor Bernard McKenna. Apparently some of the materials were taken by Father Blase Dixon through the permission of Monsignor Hugh Nolan while Dixon completed research for his doctoral dissertation on Shahan (CUA, 1972). These and other materials from various sources were returned to the Archives during the period 1960-1994. There are also the odd accessions from unexpected sources; an outstanding example is a letter from Shahan to John Marron of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (dated Dec. 27, 1912), which was received at Catholic University on February 16, 1978. The letter came from Monsignor John Tracy Ellis, who received it from a priest at "Georgetown" (presumably Georgetown University), who received it from someone who picked it up at a flea market. Most accessions were not so circuitous.

Acquisition Information

Donated to the American Catholic History Research Center and University Archives 1949-1994 by various donors.

Processing Information

Processing completed in April 2001 by Marcia K. Segal. EAD markup completed in November 2005 by Patrick Cullom, with minor revisions by William John Shepherd in 2011-2012.

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Related Material

The American Catholic History Research Center and University Archives:

Catholic Charities USA Records

National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) Records

National Catholic War Council Records

National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception Collection

United States Catholic Conference Executive Department/Office of the General Secretary Records

Rectors/Presidents of The Catholic University of America (CUA) Records

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Index Terms

Persons:

Organizations:

Places:

Subjects:

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Detailed Description of the Collection

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Descriptive Summary

Biographical Note

Scope and Contents

Arrangement

Restrictions

Administrative Information

Related Material

Index Terms

Detailed Description of the Collection

Series 1: Personal Papers, ca.1813-1950

Series 2:Correspondence, 1897-1933

Series 3: Writings and Essays, 1880 - 1933

Series 4: Reference/Research, 1894 - 1957

Series 5: Photographs, ca. 1880's - 1920's

Series 6: Nolan-Dixon Deposit, 1881 - 1950

Series 7: Oversized Items, 1882-1922, n.d.