Joseph F. Rigge

Joseph F. Rigge, S.J. (July 5, 1842 - April 17, 1913) was the first president of Marquette College (now Marquette University) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Early life Joseph Frigge was born in Paderborn, Westphalia, the son of Frederick Frigge and Elisabeth Zeppenfeld. He was the second of eight children, two of whom died in infancy. In 1854, his family emigrated to America, where they eventually established a home in Cincinnati, Ohio. His early education took place at St. Xavier College (now Xavier University) in Cincinnati, and he entered the Society of Jesus at St. Stanislaus Seminary in Florissant, Missouri on July 10, 1862, changing his surname at this time to Rigge and taking the "F" as a middle initial.

To bring attention to the new school, Rigge proposed to invite the public to an illustrated lecture on the topic of sound, in which he explained many of the latest inventions of the day. The result was that others began to seek his assistance in public expositions; the city's chief electrician even wrote to Rigge to volunteer his assistance at future lectures. Upon his arrival, on August 21, 1885, he found that the university's benefactor, John A. Creighton, had bestowed upon the science department a large telescope. It was housed in a room in the chemistry building, requiring it to be rolled in and out over rough ground for use. Rigge pointed out that, in addition to making its use difficult and infrequent, this jostling would eventually cause damage to the precision of the instrument. Creighton was approached about the matter and by October, work had begun on Creighton University Observatory, which would properly house the instrument and allow for the fullest use of its capabilities.

Rigge's scientific lectures, which featured many new and unique experiments, gained the notice of the student body as well as the public. He was the first to analyze the petroleum supply in Wyoming, publishing an article on the subject in The Scientific American Supplement. These and other contributions to the prestige of the science department caught the attention of Creighton, and as a result he lavished the department with donations, allowing Rigge to leave a well-equipped Chemistry and Physics Department when he left Creighton in 1894.

Rigge also served as chaplain of the city jail during his time at Creighton, where he spent much time with those who had been condemned to death. He sometimes was asked to accompany one of these to the scaffold, a particularly onerous duty, as it required many days, even months sometimes, to overcome the trauma of witnessing these men's deaths.

The Observatory at Creighton was eventually headed by Joseph's youngest brother William Rigge from 1895 until his own death in 1927. Although dilapidated and in disrepair it is still standing on the campus of Creighton to this day.

British Honduras Within a year after leaving Creighton, during which he taught physics and chemistry at St. Xavier College, Rigge volunteered in 1896 to go to St. John's College, Belize, where he spent two years teaching English grammar. His health forced him to come home for a time, teaching again at Marquette while he convalesced, but he requested permission to return, and spent the years from 1900 to 1905

Return to Cincinnati In 1906 Rigge's health once more forced him to return to his hometown of Cincinnati, where he taught in the science department at St. Xavier College. In 1907, he was assigned as pastor of St. Francis Xavier Church in Cincinnati, where he remained until his death in 1913.