John J Cavanaugh

The Rev. John J Cavanaugh, C.S.C. (1899 – 1979), a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross, served from 1946 to 1952 as the 14th president of the University of Notre Dame, having previously served as its vice president since 1941. A native of Owosso, MI, Cavanaugh led Notre Dame at a time during which the Institute of Medieval Studies was organized, undergraduate enrollment increased by more than half, and graduate student enrollment grew fivefold. Cavanaugh also presided over the construction of the Nieuwland Science Hall, Fisher Hall, and the Morris Inn, as well as the Hall of Liberal Arts (now O'Shaughnessy Hall), made possible by a donation from I.A. O'Shaughnessy, at the time the largest ever made to an American Catholic university. Cavanaugh also established a system of advisory councils at the University, which continue today and are vital to the University's governance and development. His successor was Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh.

Kennedy Relationships

He was the personal priest of the Kennedy Family and a good friend of John F. Kennedy's father, Joseph Kennedy. He did many of the Kennedy weddings and was one of the three priests at J.F.K.'s funeral.

Trivia

* After the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Cavanaugh stayed with Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Kennedy at their Hyannisport, MA estate and then traveled to Washington D.C. for the funeral. [http://www.shiawasseehistory.com/cavanaugh.html]
*Cavanaugh was portrayed by Donald Crisp in the 1940 movie "Knute Rockne All American", and by Robert Prosky in the 1993 film "Rudy".