Edward D. Boone

Edward D. Boone (February 27, 1833 – January 16, 1916) was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who was the president of the College of the Holy Cross from 1878 to 1883. Born in Washington, D.C., he graduated from Holy Cross in 1851 and entered the Society of Jesus the following year. Before becoming president, he taught at various Jesuit colleges. He spent the last twenty-five years of his life at Loyola College in Maryland and as a prison chaplain.

Early life Boone was born on February 27, 1833, in the City of Washington, in the District of Columbia, Boone was educated at private schools in the city before enrolling at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he graduated in 1851. The following year, Boone entered the Society of Jesus, proceeding to the Jesuit novitiate in Frederick, Maryland, on September 8, 1852.

After completing his novitiate, Boone was assigned to work at Georgetown University. He later taught at the novitiate in Frederick and then at Saint Joseph's College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1860, Boone began his philosophical studies at Boston College, followed by theological studies at Georgetown. On July 2, 1866, he was ordained a priest by Martin John Spalding, the Archbishop of Baltimore, at the chapel of St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland. He was the first alumnus of the college to become its president. In the 1880s, fundraising, for the first time, began to play a significant role for the college. The college catalogue of 1879–1880 solicited donations of up to $50,000 (equivalent to approximately $ in ) and offered naming privileges in exchange for such donations. In 1883, due to poor health, Boone asked the Jesuit Superior General, Peter Jan Beckx, to appoint a replacement. In June of that year, Boone was succeeded by Robert W. Brady.

Later years In 1884, Boone became the vice president of Gonzaga College in Washington, D.C.