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List of presidents of Georgetown University

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Facade of Healy Hall, with Bishop John Carroll statue in front
Healy Hall, where the Office of the President is housed 1

Georgetown University is a private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States that was founded as Georgetown College by Bishop John Carroll of Baltimore in 1789.[1] The president of Georgetown University is its chief executive officer,[2] and from its establishment until the 1960s was also the rector of the university's Jesuit community.[3] The president is elected by and may be removed by the university's board of directors, and is ex officio a member of the board. The president is also one of five members of the university's legal corporation,[2] known as the President and Directors of Georgetown College, which was first chartered by the United States Congress in 1815.[4]

The president is charged with control over the "business affairs and properties" of the university, and appoints the vice presidents and administrators and, with the concurrence of the board, appoints the provost, secretary, and treasurer of the university. The president may remove any officer, vice president, or administrator by his accord, except the provost, secretary, and treasurer, which require the concurrence of the board. If the office is vacant, then the powers of the presidency are exercised by the provost.[2] The president is among the 100 highest-paid university presidents in the United States.[5]

Of the 41 individuals to have held the office, nearly all have been Jesuits.[3] Only one has been a member of another religious order while president: Louis William Valentine DuBourg, who was a Sulpician.[6] Three presidents have gone on to become bishops: DuBourg,[6] Leonard Neale,[7] and Benedict Joseph Fenwick.[8] Every president has been a Catholic priest except one, John J. DeGioia.[3] Having assumed office on July 1, 2001,[9] DeGioia is the university's longest-serving president.[3] He stepped down on November 21, 2024.[10]

On October 15, 2025, Georgetown announced that Eduardo Peñalver would become the 49th president of the university, effective July 1, 2026.[11]

Presidents

Key
SJ Society of Jesus
PSS Society of the Priests of Saint Sulpice
No. Image Name Years Notes Ref.
1 Robert Plunkett SJ 1791–1793 [12]
2 Robert Molyneux SJ 1793–1796 Superior of the Jesuit Maryland Mission (1805–1808)[13] [12]
3 Louis William Valentine DuBourg PSS 1796–1798 Founder and President of St. Mary's College (1799–1810); Bishop of Louisiana and the Two Floridas (1815–1826); Bishop of Montauban (1826–1833); Archbishop of Besançon (1833).[6] [12]
4 Leonard Neale SJ 1798–1806 Coadjutor Bishop of Baltimore (1795–1815); Archbishop of Baltimore (1815–1817)[7] [12]
5 Robert Molyneux SJ 1806–1808 [12]
6 Francis Neale SJ 1808–1809 Acting president [12]
7 William Matthews 1809 President of the Washington Seminary (1824–1848).[14] Georgetown alumnus.[15] Was a Jesuit novice only for the duration of his presidency.[14] [12]
8 Francis Neale SJ 1809–1812 [12]
9 Giovanni Antonio Grassi SJ 1812–1817 Superior of the Jesuit Maryland Mission (1812–1817); Provincial Superior of the Jesuit Province of Turin (1831–1835); Rector of the Pontificio Collegio Urbano de Propaganda Fide (1840–1842).[16] Sometimes referred to as Georgetown's "second founder."[17] [12]
10 Benedict Joseph Fenwick SJ 1817 Bishop of Boston (1825–1846).[8] Georgetown alumnus.[18] [12]
11 Anthony Kohlmann SJ 1817–1820 Apostolic Administrator of New York (1810–1815); Superior of the Jesuit Maryland Mission (1817–1819);[19] President of the Washington Seminary (1820–1824).[20] [12]
12 Enoch Fenwick SJ 1820–1825 Georgetown alumnus[21] [12]
13 Benedict Joseph Fenwick SJ 1825 Acting president [12]
14 Stephen Larigaudelle Dubuisson SJ 1825–1826 Georgetown alumnus[22] [12]
15 William Feiner SJ 1826–1829 [12]
16 John W. Beschter SJ 1829 [12]
17 Thomas F. Mulledy SJ 1829–1838 Provincial Superior of the Jesuit Maryland Province (1837–1840);[13] President of the College of the Holy Cross (1843–1845).[23] Georgetown alumnus.[24] [12]
18 William McSherry SJ 1838–1839 Provincial Superior of the Jesuit Maryland Province (1833–1837, 1839).[13] Georgetown alumnus.[25] [12]
19 Joseph A. Lopez SJ 1839–1840 Acting president. First Latin American college president in the United States.[26] [12]
20 James A. Ryder SJ 1840–1845 Provincial Superior of the Jesuit Maryland Province (1843–1845);[13] President of the College of the Holy Cross (1845–1848); President of Saint Joseph's College (1856–1857).[27] Georgetown alumnus.[28] [12]
21 Samuel Mulledy SJ 1845 Georgetown alumnus[29] [12]
22 Thomas F. Mulledy SJ 1845–1848 [12]
23 James A. Ryder SJ 1848–1851 [12]
24 Charles H. Stonestreet SJ 1851–1852 Provincial Superior of the Jesuit Maryland Province (1852–1858);[13] President of Gonzaga College (1858–1860).[30] Georgetown alumnus.[31] [12]
25 Bernard A. Maguire SJ 1852–1858 Georgetown alumnus[32] [12]
26 John Early SJ 1858–1865 President of the College of the Holy Cross (1848–1851); President of Loyola College in Maryland (1852–1858, 1866–1870).[33] Georgetown alumnus.[34] [12]
27 Bernard A. Maguire SJ 1866–1870 [12]
28 John Early SJ 1870–1873 [12]
29 Patrick Francis Healy SJ 1873–1882 Self-identified as white but posthumously recognized as the first black American to become a Jesuit, earn a Ph.D. and become the president of a predominantly white American university.[35] Sometimes referred to as Georgetown's "second founder."[36] [12]
30 James A. Doonan SJ 1882–1888 Georgetown alumnus[37] [12]
31 J. Havens Richards SJ 1888–1898 [12]
32 John D. Whitney SJ 1898–1901 [38]
33 Jerome Daugherty SJ 1901–1905 [38]
34 David Hillhouse Buel SJ 1905–1908 [38]
35 Joseph J. Himmel SJ 1908–1912 Rector of St. Andrew-on-Hudson (1915–1921)[39] [38]
36 Alphonsus J. Donlon SJ 1912–1918 Georgetown alumnus[40] [38]
37 John B. Creeden SJ 1918–1924 [38]
38 Charles W. Lyons SJ 1924–1928 Rector of Gonzaga College (1908–1909); President of Saint Joseph's College (1909–1914); President of Boston College (1914–1919)[41] [38]
39 W. Coleman Nevils SJ 1928–1935 President of the University of Scranton (1942–1947)[42] [38]
40 Arthur A. O'Leary SJ 1935–1942 [38]
41 Lawrence C. Gorman SJ 1942–1949 [38]
42 J. Hunter Guthrie SJ 1949–1952 [38]
43 Edward B. Bunn SJ 1952–1964 President of Loyola College in Maryland (1938–1947)[43] [44]
44 Gerard J. Campbell SJ 1964–1968 [44]
45 Robert J. Henle SJ 1969–1976 [44]
46 Timothy S. Healy SJ 1976–1989 President of the New York Public Library (1989–1992)[45] [44]
47 Leo J. O'Donovan SJ 1989–2001 Georgetown alumnus[46] [44]
48 John J. DeGioia 2001–2024 First lay president of a Jesuit university in the United States.[47] Georgetown alumnus.[3] [48]
interim Robert Groves 2024–2026 Georgetown's Executive Vice President and Provost (2012–2024); 23rd Director of the United States Census Bureau (2009–2012) [49]
49 Eduardo Peñalver 2026 President of Seattle University (2021–2026) [50]

See also

References

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  2. Back to citation occurrence 2.0 Back to citation occurrence 2.1 Back to citation occurrence 2.2 "Bylaws of the President and Georgetown College". Georgetown University. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  3. Back to citation occurrence 3.0 Back to citation occurrence 3.1 Back to citation occurrence 3.2 Back to citation occurrence 3.3 Back to citation occurrence 3.4 Hinchliffe, Emma (August 26, 2014). "13 Years In, DeGioia Outlasts Predecessors in President's Office". The Hoya. Archived from the original on July 11, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  4. Back to citation "Charter of the University". Georgetown University. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  5. Back to citation O'Loughlin, Michael J. (December 15, 2017). "The Highest-Paid Catholic College Presidents". America. Archived from the original on December 23, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
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  10. Back to citation "President DeGioia To Become President Emeritus of Georgetown". Georgetown University, University News. November 21, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
  11. Back to citation "Eduardo Peñalver Named 49th President of Georgetown University". Georgetown University, University News. October 15, 2025. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
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  26. Back to citation Ávila Rueda, Alfredo (March 12, 2019). "Josep Lopez, ¿Quién fue Este Sacerdote que Estuvo a Punto de Capturar a Miguel Hidalgo?" [Joseph Lopez, Who Was This Priest Who was About to Capture Miguel Hidalgo?]. Relatos e Historias en Mexico (in Spanish). Archived from the original on April 29, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
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  32. Back to citation J. A. M. 1887, p. 4
  33. Back to citation "Rev. John Early, S.J." College of the Holy Cross. Archived from the original on March 20, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  34. Back to citation Mendizàbal 1972, p. 75
  35. Back to citation Greene, Bryan (September 8, 2020). "Born Enslaved, Patrick Francis Healy 'Passed' His Way to Lead Georgetown University". Smithsonian. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
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  49. Back to citation "Robert M. Groves". Office of the President of Georgetown University. Archived from the original on October 16, 2025. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  50. Back to citation Lane, Rosemary (October 15, 2025). "Eduardo Peñalver Named 49th President of Georgetown University". Georgetown University. Retrieved October 16, 2025.

Bibliography

Sources

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