George Deshon

George Deshon (New London, Connecticut, U.S.A., 30 January 1823 – New York City, 30 December 1903) was an American Paulist Father.

Life Deshon was born in New London, Connecticut, a descendant of Plymouth Colony elder William Brewster. He was raised a Congregationalist and received an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point at the age of sixteen. His classmate and roommate was General U. S. Grant, with whom he remained friends. Some time after Grant's death, the New York Freeman asked Deshon to compose some reminiscences of their time together as cadets.

Deshon graduated in 1843 second in his class, and he afterwards taught geography, history and ethics at the Academy. While there he became friends with William Rosecrans, who was also teaching there. Rosecrans' conversion to Catholicism in 1845 influenced Deshon's own decision.

Deshon spent a considerable part of his time on the missions. A volume of his parochial sermons was issued in 1901. He published in 1860 a book entitled Guide for Catholic Young Women – Especially Those Who Earn Their Own Living, which is still in print today.

Deshon was elected superior general of the Paulist Institute in 1897. At that time houses had been founded in San Francisco, and at Winchester, Tennessee.

The last important act of his life was the founding of the Paulist house in Chicago, for which he arranged with Archbishop Quigley in the fall of 1903. Deshon died suddenly of heart failure about midnight 30 December 1903.