Born in 1830, Patrick Francis Healy was the first person of African ancestry to earn a Ph.D. and became the first person of African ancestry to head a major American university.
Healy was the son of a white plantation owner and a biracial enslaved woman who later became the plantation owner's common-law wife.
Healy's father sent his son to the North so that he could acquire an education. Healy studied at College of the Holy Cross and in 1850 joined the Jesuit order. He went on to earn his doctorate in Belgium and was ordained to the priesthood in 1864.
In 1865, Healy returned to the U.S.to teach philosophy at Georgetown University. In 1874, he became the school's president.
During his lifetime, his African ancestry was not a secret, but was not always openly discussed.
Healy died in 1910.
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Mixed Experience History Month is the annual blog post series created by writer Heidi Durrow celebrating the history of the Mixed experience. Established in 2007, Mixed Experience History Month is an effort to show that there is a long history of achievements of those involved in the Mixed experience. Please look for more profiles of people, places and events of the Mixed experience every weekday of May at Lightskinned-ed Girl, the blog! Thanks for reading. And check out some of the previous year's profiles: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010.
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Mixed Experience History Month is the annual blog post series created by writer Heidi Durrow celebrating the history of the Mixed experience. Established in 2007, Mixed Experience History Month is an effort to show that there is a long history of achievements of those involved in the Mixed experience. Please look for more profiles of people, places and events of the Mixed experience every weekday of May at Lightskinned-ed Girl, the blog! Thanks for reading. And check out some of the previous year's profiles: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010.
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