13 Facts About Martin Hehir

Martin A Hehir was a Roman Catholic priest and the fourth president of Pittsburgh Catholic College.

Martin Hehir was born near Kildysart, County Clare, Ireland, in 1855.

Martin Hehir graduated from Blackrock College in 1887, having obtained a traditional classical education.

Martin Hehir came to Pittsburgh in 1884 as a professor of languages at the Pittsburgh Catholic College.

Fifteen years after he had arrived in Pittsburgh, Father Martin Hehir became president of the Pittsburgh Catholic College, succeeding Father John Murphy on August 20,1899.

Martin Hehir's first move was to reorganize the college, creating a clearly defined College Division, as distinct from the Preparatory School, as well as taking steps to reconcile ethnic tensions between the Irish administration of the college and the German Catholic community in Pittsburgh.

Several Catholic institutions at the time were making moves toward university status, so in 1910, Martin Hehir's administration decided to submit an application to a special College and University Council from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Father Martin Hehir undertook a vigorous fundraising campaign, and a gymnasium and academic building were constructed.

Martin Hehir's administration saw a sixfold increase in enrollment from 1911 to 1921, and witnessed Duquesne emerge to become the seventh-largest Catholic school in the country; this meteoric rise can be attributed largely to Hehir's pragmatism and commitment to serving the Catholic community in Pittsburgh during a time when immigrants struggled to assimilate into larger society.

An official announcement that Martin Hehir would resign from the office of president was made in Pittsburgh newspapers on October 13,1930.

Martin Hehir announced that he wished to die in the city of Pittsburgh, and on June 9,1935, he died at Mercy Hospital, only three blocks away from Duquesne University.

Martin Hehir's body was then taken from the university chapel to St Paul's Cathedral, where a vigil was held by alumni throughout the night.

Martin Hehir maintained a highly visible presence in the day-to-day life of the university, participating in and supporting college events, and taking personal interest in the lives of students.