1. The Rev William Corby, CSC was an American priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross, and a Union Army chaplain in the American Civil War attached to the Irish Brigade.
12 Facts About William Corby
1. 2.
William Corby served twice as president of the University of Notre Dame.
3.
William Corby was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Daniel Corby, an Irish immigrant, and his wife Elizabeth, a Canadian.
4.
William Corby attended public school until age 16, then joined his father's real estate business.
5.
William Corby spent the next three years as chaplain of the 88th New York Infantry, which was one of the five original regiments in the Irish Brigade.
6.
William Corby is widely remembered among military chaplains and celebrated by Irish-American fraternal organizations.
7.
In 1869 William Corby opened the law school, which offered a two-year course of study, and in 1871 he began construction of Sacred Heart Church, today the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame.
8.
The institution was still small, and William Corby taught in the classroom and knew most students and faculty members.
9.
William Corby became president again following the short term of Fr.
10.
When William Corby returned to the presidency, Notre Dame had not yet become a significant academic institution.
11.
William Corby's presidency saw the April 1879 fire that destroyed the old Main Building of the school.
12.
William Corby wanted to remain president, but was overruled by Sorin.