Martin Henry Carmody (January 26, 1872 – December 9, 1950) was the seventh Supreme Knight of the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...

, serving from September 1, 1927, to August 31, 1939.

Career

Knights of Columbus

In 1902, Carmody joined the Knights of Columbus and later became the Grand Knight of the Grand Rapids Council as well as the District Deputy, State Deputy, and Deputy Supreme Knight of the international order for 18 years. In 1927 Carmody was elected the seventh Supreme Knight of the

and was in that position until August 31, 1939. Carmody was a

Chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

to Pope Pius XI. For his war work during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he was made a chevalier of the

French Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. The rank of commander of the Order of the Star of

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

was conferred on him by Marshal Lyautey, the French president general of Morocco. Carmody held two ranks in the

Order of Saint Gregory the Great The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great ( la, Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni; it, Ordine di San Gregorio Magno) was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election as Pope. The order is one of ...

, awarded to him by Popes

Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (Ecclesiastical Latin, Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his deat ...

and

Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City f ...

. When President Herbert Hoover established the

President's Organization for Unemployment Relief The President's Organization for Unemployment Relief (originally known as the President's Emergency Committee for Employment) was a government organization created on August 19, 1931, by United States President Herbert Hoover. Its commission was to ...

in 1931, Carmody wrote to Hoover pledging the services of the Order. Carmody had already encouraged the 2,600 councils to have "strong and active employment committees." By the end of July 1931, a total of 43,128 unemployed people had been placed into jobs, in addition to those placements made by local councils who were working under the auspices of other organizations. In less than two years, the Order would provide more than 100,000 jobs. In October of that year, Hoover appointed Carmody to the Organization.

Personal life

Carmody was born in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

to Martin and Anastasia Carmody. He attended Valparaiso Normal College and graduated in 1899 from the

University of Michigan Law School The University of Michigan Law School (Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Comparative Law (MCL ...

. While attending law school, he played football as a

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

on the 1899 Michigan Wolverines football team. Carmody married Frances Brady in Grand Rapids in 1911. On December 9, 1950, Martin Carmody died at his home, aged 78, following a long illness. He was survived by his wife, daughter and three grandchildren.

References

Bibliography

External links

Supreme Knight Martin H. Carmody
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carmody, Martin H. 1872 births 1950 deaths American military personnel of World War I People from Grand Rapids, Michigan Roman Catholic activists Papal chamberlains Valparaiso University alumni University of Michigan Law School alumni Michigan Wolverines football players Supreme Knights of the Knights of Columbus Deputy Supreme Knights of the Knights of Columbus Catholics from Michigan