John D. Whitney, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

John D. Whitney

American Jesuit educator

Date of Birth: 19-Jul-1850

Place of Birth: Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States

Date of Death: 27-Nov-1917

Profession: teacher, Catholic priest, academic administrator

Nationality: United States

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

John Dunning Whitney (July 19, 1850 – November 27, 1917) was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who became President of Georgetown University in 1898.
Born in Massachusetts, he joined the United States Navy at the age of sixteen, where he was introduced to Catholicism by way of a book that accidentally came into his possession, and prompted him to become a Catholic.
He entered the Society of Jesus and spent the next twenty-five years studying and teaching mathematics at Jesuit institutions around the world, including in Canada, England, Ireland, and around the United States in New York, Maryland, Boston, and Louisiana.
He became the vice president of Spring Hill College in Alabama, before being appointed President of Georgetown University. During his three-year tenure, a number of improvements were made to the campus, including the completion of Gaston Hall, the construction of the entrances to Healy Hall, and renovations of several other buildings.
The Georgetown University Hospital also was established during his presidency.
After the end of his term, he went to Boston College for several years as treasurer, before doing pastoral work in Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and Baltimore, where he became prefect of St.
Ignatius Church.
He continued to spend time at Boston College, where he died in 1917.