Edward Victor Boursaud

Edward Victor Boursaud (September 1, 1840 – March 19, 1902) was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who was the president of Boston College from 1884 to 1887. Raised in New York City and France, he studied at Mount St. Mary's College in Maryland before entering the Society of Jesus in 1863. For the next 18 years, he studied and taught at Jesuit institutions, including Boston College, Georgetown College, and Woodstock College, as well as the novitiate in Frederick, Maryland. In 1881 and 1887, he served three-year terms in Italy as the assistant secretary to the Jesuit Superior General for the English-speaking world.

In 1884, Boursaud became the president of Boston College, where he would remain for three years. He then served three years as the rector of Woodstock College from 1890 to 1893. In his later years, he spent time teaching and as a spiritual father at Jesuit institutions throughout the eastern United States.

Early life Edward Victor Boursaud was born on September 1, 1840, in New York City. Boursaud's father, Augustin, was born in Bourdeaux, France, and emigrated to New York at the age of thirty.

Jesuit formation After two years as a novice, Boursaud became a professor of classics at the Jesuit juniorate in Frederick. Boursaud began his philosophical and theological studies at Woodstock College in Woodstock, Maryland, in September 1871. and completed his theological studies the next year. During his presidency, Boursaud was also the pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in the South End of Boston, which was Boston College's chapel. Boursaud's presidency ended on August 5, 1887, and he was succeeded by Thomas H. Stack.

Later years After the end of his presidency at Boston College, Boursaud returned to Italy and resumed the position of assistant secretary of the English-speaking assistancy for three years. Around this time, his health began to decline, and he returned to the United States in 1890, initially going to Georgetown. On October 9, 1890, Boursaud became the rector of Woodstock College. He held this position until November 29, 1893, when his health began to significantly deteriorate. He also became the to the provincial superior of the Jesuit Maryland-New York Province.

In 1894, Boursaud was stationed at Saint Joseph's College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as an assistant to the central director of the Apostleship of Prayer and as a staff member of the Messenger of the Sacred Heart, that organization's publication. When the apostleship moved to New York City, he moved with it. The following year, he became a teacher of the lower classes and spiritual father at the school. His body was buried in the cemetery at Woodstock College.

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