James A. Doonan | |
|---|---|
 Doonan in 1890 | |
| 30th President of Georgetown University | |
| In office 1882–1888 | |
| Preceded by | Patrick Francis Healy |
| Succeeded by | J. Havens Richards |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 8, 1841 Augusta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Died | April 12, 1911 (aged 69) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting place | Jesuit Community Cemetery |
| Alma mater | |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | 1874 by James Gibbons |
James Aloysius Doonan SJ (November 8, 1841 – April 12, 1911) was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit, who was the president of Georgetown University from 1882 to 1888. During that time he oversaw the naming of Gaston Hall and the construction of a new building for the School of Medicine. Doonan also acquired two historic cannons that were placed in front of Healy Hall. His presidency was financially successful, with a reduction in the university's burdensome debt that had accrued during the construction of Healy Hall.
Prior to his administration of Georgetown, Doonan was a student there and at Woodstock College. He then taught at Loyola College in Maryland and Boston College. He spent his later years teaching and ministering at Boston College and at Saint Joseph's College in Philadelphia, as well as at St. Francis Xavier College in New York and at the Catholic Summer School of America.