Francis P. Smith, C.S.Sp. (1907–1990) was a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

and the seventh president of Duquesne University in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, from 1946 until 1950.

Personal background and education

Francis P. Smith was born on March 28, 1907 in Waterbury, Connecticut, the son of Matthew Smith and his wife, Elizabeth A. Smith (née Begnal). Smith joined the

Holy Ghost Fathers , image = Holy Ghost Fathers seal.png , size = 175px , caption = The seal of the Congregation depicting the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Trinity. , abbreviation ...

as a junior seminarian at the age of 13. He made his profession in the order on August 15, 1926. He obtained a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from Duquesne University in 1930. He was ordained a priest on September 14, 1933 at St. Mary's Seminary in

Norwalk, Connecticut , image_map = Fairfield County Connecticut incorporated and unincorporated areas Norwalk highlighted.svg , mapsize = 230px , map_caption = Location in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Fairfield County and ...

, where he went on to obtain a

bachelor of divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD or BDiv; la, Baccalaureus Divinitatis) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology ...

in 1934. Father Smith taught as a professor at St. Mary's from 1934 until 1937, when he left for

The Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution ...

. He earned a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree from that institution in 1938.

Service to Duquesne University

Smith had begun postgraduate work for a doctorate at

Fordham University Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...

in 1938, but his studies were interrupted when he received an assignment to teach philosophy at Duquesne in 1940. He was named Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 1943, and Vice President of the university in 1944. In 1946, Smith was appointed the seventh President of Duquesne University. He would serve in that position until 1950, when he was appointed coordinator of Spiritan educational activities in the United States. An obituary in the ''

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...

'' noted that Smith's presidency "guided the university through a major post-World War II expansion fed by the influx of veterans studying under the

G.I. Bill The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, bu ...

" and "supervised an expansion of the school's physical plant, improvements in faculty benefits and the founding of WDUQ, the city's first college radio station". Smith died in Pittsburgh on June 30, 1990 at the age of 83. Before his death, he resided at the Holy Ghost Animation Center in the Pittsburgh suburb of

Bethel Park Bethel Park, officially the Municipality of Bethel Park, is a borough with home rule status in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, located approximately southwest of Pittsburgh. The po ...

Notes and references

;References ;Works cited * * * *

External links

A brief history of Duquesne University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Francis P (Duquesne University) 1907 births 1990 deaths People from Waterbury, Connecticut Duquesne University alumni Catholic University of America alumni Holy Ghost Fathers Presidents of Duquesne University Catholics from Connecticut 20th-century American Roman Catholic priests 20th-century American academics