James A. Ryder

{{Short description|19th-century American Jesuit}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2020}} {{Use American English|date=December 2018}} {{featured article}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = James A. Ryder | term_end2 = 1845 | order1 = 20th & 23rd | term_start1 = 1848 | term_end1 = 1851 | predecessor1 = [[Thomas F. Mulledy]] | successor1 = [[Charles H. Stonestreet]] | term_start2 = 1840 | predecessor2 = [[Joseph A. Lopez]] | module = {{Infobox Christian leader | child = yes | ordination = 1824 }} | successor2 = [[Samuel Mulledy]] | term_start3 = 1845 | term_end3 = 1848 | predecessor3 = [[Thomas F. Mulledy]] | successor3 = [[John Early (educator)|John Early]] | order3 = 2nd | office1 = List of presidents of Georgetown University{{!}}President of Georgetown College | successor = [[James A. Ward]] | honorific_prefix = [[The Very Reverend]] | resting_place = [[Jesuit Community Cemetery]] | alt = Portrait of James A. Ryder | image = James A. Ryder biretta (cropped).jpg | image_upright = 0.9 | birth_date = {{birth date|1800|10|08}} | birth_place = [[Dublin]], Ireland | death_date = {{death date and age|1860|01|12|1800|10|08}} | predecessor = [[Felix-Joseph Barbelin]] | death_place = [[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania, U.S. | alma_mater = [[Georgetown University|Georgetown College]] | order = 2nd | term_start = 1856 | term_end = 1857 | office = List of presidents of Saint Joseph's University{{!}}President of Saint Joseph's College | office3 = List of presidents of the College of the Holy Cross{{!}}President of the College of the Holy Cross | honorific_suffix = [[Society of Jesus|SJ]] }}

'''James A. Ryder''' {{post-nominals|list=[[Society of Jesus|SJ]]}} (October 8, 1800 – January 12, 1860) was an American [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] priest and [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]] who became the president of several [[Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities|Jesuit universities]] in the United States. Born in Ireland, he immigrated with his widowed mother to the United States as a child, to settle in [[Georgetown (Washington, D.C.)|Georgetown]], in the [[District of Columbia]]. He enrolled at [[Georgetown University|Georgetown College]] and then entered the [[Society of Jesus]]. Studying in [[Maryland]] and [[Rome]], Ryder proved to be a talented student of [[Catholic theology|theology]] and was made a professor. He returned to Georgetown College in 1829, where he was appointed to senior positions and founded the [[Philodemic Society]], becoming its first president.

In 1840, Ryder became the [[List of presidents of Georgetown University|president of Georgetown College]], and oversaw the construction of the university's [[Georgetown University Astronomical Observatory|Astronomical Observatory]], as well as Georgetown's legal [[Incorporation (business)|incorporation]] by the [[United States Congress]]. He earned a reputation as a skilled orator and preacher. His term ended in 1843 with his appointment as [[provincial superior]] of the [[Jesuit Maryland Province]]. As provincial, he laid the groundwork for the transfer of ownership of the newly established [[College of the Holy Cross]] from the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston|Diocese of Boston]] to the Society of Jesus. Two years later, Ryder became the second [[List of presidents of the College of the Holy Cross|president of the College of the Holy Cross]], and oversaw the construction of a new wing. He returned to Georgetown in 1848 for a second term as president, and accepted a group of local physicians to form the [[Georgetown University School of Medicine|Georgetown School of Medicine]], constructed a new home for [[Holy Trinity Catholic Church (Washington, D.C.)|Holy Trinity Church]], and quelled a student rebellion.

In his later years, Ryder went to [[Philadelphia]], where he assisted with the founding of [[Saint Joseph's University|Saint Joseph's College]] and became [[List of presidents of Saint Joseph's University|its second president]] in 1856. He became the [[pastor]] of [[St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)|St. John the Evangelist Church]] in Philadelphia, and then transferred to [[St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church (Frederick, Maryland)|St. John the Evangelist Church]] in [[Frederick, Maryland]], as pastor. Finally, he returned to Philadelphia, where he died in 1860.

== Early life == James Ryder was born on October 8, 1800, in [[Dublin]], Kingdom of Ireland, to a Protestant father, who died when his son was a child, and a Catholic mother. He emigrated to the United States as a young boy with his mother after the death of his father. She took up residence in [[Georgetown (Washington, D.C.)|Georgetown]], then a city in the newly formed [[District of Columbia]].<ref name=mcadams240>{{harvnb|McAdams|1950|p=240}}</ref> Ryder enrolled at [[Georgetown University|Georgetown College]] on August 29, 1813,<ref name="easby-smith48">{{harvnb|Easby-Smith|1907|p=48}}</ref> and entered the [[Society of Jesus]] in 1815 as a [[Novitiate|novice]], at the age of fifteen.<ref name="easby-smith88">{{harvnb|Easby-Smith|1907|p=88}}</ref> He began his novitiate in [[White Marsh Manor]] in [[Maryland]], before being sent to [[Rome]] in the summer of 1820 by [[Peter Kenney]],<ref name="kuzniewski1-2" /> the [[apostolic visitor]] to the Jesuit's Maryland mission.<ref name="curran89">{{harvnb|Curran|1993|p=89}}</ref>

He was sent alongside five other American Jesuits, who would go on to become influential in the administration of the Society in the United States for several decades. Among these, Ryder and [[Charles Constantine Pise]] were identified as the most intellectually advanced.<ref name="kuzniewski1-2">{{harvnb|Kuzniewski|2014|pp=1–2}}</ref> They left from [[Alexandria, Virginia]], on June 6, 1820,<ref name=kuzniewski9>{{harvnb|Kuzniewski|2014|p=9}}</ref> and landed in [[Gibraltar]] to be quarantined, before traveling to [[Naples]] on July 13 and then on to Rome in late August,<ref name=kuzniewski10>{{harvnb|Kuzniewski|2014|p=10}}</ref> where Ryder studied theology and philosophy.<ref name="easby-smith88" />

There, he was [[Holy orders in the Catholic Church|ordained]] a [[Priesthood in the Catholic Church|priest]] in 1824,<ref name="curran109">{{harvnb|Curran|1993|p=109}}</ref> and proceeded to teach theology at the [[Roman College]].<ref name="kuzniewski15">{{harvnb|Kuzniewski|2014|p=15}}</ref> He then went to teach theology and [[Catholic Bible|sacred scripture]] at the University of [[Spoleto]], where he remained for two years.<ref name=mclaughlin5>{{harvnb|McLaughlin|1860|p=5}}</ref> He became a good friend of Archbishop [[Pope Pius IX|Giovanni Mastai-Ferretti]] (later Pope Pius IX),<ref name="curran109" /> who appointed him the chair of philosophy.<ref name="mcadams240" /> Ryder also spent part of 1828 teaching in [[Orvieto]].<ref name=devitt312>{{harvnb|Devitt|1933|p=312}}</ref> [[File:James Ryder SJ.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.85|Ryder wearing a priest's [[biretta]]|alt=Portrait of James Ryder wearing a biretta]]

Ryder returned to the United States in 1829, where he took up a professorship in philosophy and theology at Georgetown, to teach Jesuit scholastics.<ref name="curran109" /> He was named the [[prefect]] of studies,<ref name=easby-smith89>{{harvnb|Easby-Smith|1907|p=89}}</ref> where he implemented an overhaul of the curriculum under the direction of President [[Thomas F. Mulledy]]; he was simultaneously made vice president of the school. It was during this time that Ryder founded the [[Philodemic Society]],<ref name=easby-smith66>{{harvnb|Easby-Smith|1907|p=66}}</ref> of which he became the first president.<ref name=easby-smith263>{{harvnb|Easby-Smith|1907|p=263}}</ref>

Founded on January 17, 1830, it was the first collegiate debating society in the United States, and it was Ryder who selected the name.<ref name="mcadams240" /> He was also appointed by Peter Kenney as minister and [[admonitor]] to Mulledy.<ref name=kuzniewski19>{{harvnb|Kuzniewski|2014|p=19}}</ref> In this role, he received a severe lecture from Kenney in 1832 for not properly welcoming six [[Belgium|Belgian]] Jesuits who arrived at the college.<ref name=kuzniewski20>{{harvnb|Kuzniewski|2014|p=20}}</ref> In 1834, Ryder became a professor of rhetoric at the university.<ref name=easby-smith72>{{harvnb|Easby-Smith|1907|p=72}}</ref>

In an 1835 speech to Catholics in [[Richmond, Virginia]], he called upon Catholics to defend national unity, which included opposing the efforts of [[Abolitionism in the United States|Northern abolitionists]] to abolish [[Slavery in the United States|slavery in the South]]; he warned Catholics that they would themselves become victims of persecution if their "glorious system of national independence" were to be overthrown. The group gathered resolved that "slavery in the abstract" was evil, but that Catholic citizens were obligated to support the civil institutions of the United States. However, they also celebrated "the determination [of] our Southern brethren, in not condescending to discuss the question of slavery with those [Northern] fanatics."<ref name="oration">{{Cite web|url=https://slaveryarchive.georgetown.edu/items/show/88|title=Proslavery Oration by Rev. James Ryder, SJ, August 30, 1835|website=Georgetown Slavery Archive|date=September 30, 1835|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324055045/http://slaveryarchive.georgetown.edu/items/show/88|archive-date=March 24, 2018|access-date=December 15, 2018}}</ref>

== Georgetown College == === First presidency ===

The appointment of Ryder as [[List of presidents of Georgetown University|president of Georgetown College]] was announced on May 1, 1840.<ref name="easby-smith75" /> His selection came despite concerns that he was more interested in giving talks and leading [[Retreat (spiritual)|retreats]] than ensuring the institution was financially stable.<ref name=curran117>{{harvnb|Curran|1993|p=117}}</ref> Although he had the support of the Jesuit leadership, the [[Superior General of the Society of Jesus|Superior General of the Jesuits]], [[Jan Roothaan]], was worried that Ryder's American attitude in support of [[republicanism]] would take priority over his obedience to the Jesuits.<ref name="kuzniewski33" /><ref name="kuzniewski35" />

Succeeding [[Joseph A. Lopez]],<ref name="easby-smith75">{{harvnb|Easby-Smith|1907|p=75}}</ref> he entered office while the [[Provincial Councils of Baltimore|Provincial Council of Baltimore]] was in progress, and the council fathers who were gathered in [[Baltimore]] took the opportunity to visit Georgetown.<ref name="easby-smith76">{{harvnb|Easby-Smith|1907|p=76}}</ref> As president, Ryder's connections with Washington's politicians were strong. He had a particularly good relationship with the [[President of the United States]], [[John Tyler]], who enrolled his son at Georgetown,<ref name="kuzniewski34" /> and whose sister converted to Catholicism.<ref name="croce14-15" /> Their relationship went so far that Ryder played a significant role in the unsuccessful attempt to have Tyler run as a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] in the [[1844 United States presidential election|1844 presidential election]].<ref name="curran123">{{harvnb|Curran|1993|p=123}}</ref>[[File:Georgetown University Observatory with gate.png|thumb|left|The [[Georgetown University Astronomical Observatory|Georgetown College Astronomical Observatory]] was constructed during Ryder's presidency.|alt=Georgetown University Observatory between 1843 and 1907]] Upon assuming the presidency, Ryder inherited a significant debt of $20,000 ({{Inflation|index=US|value=20000|start_year=1840|r=-4|fmt=eq}}{{Inflation/fn|US}}), which he liquidated by 1842, at least part of it being paid by Ryder himself from monies he earned lecturing.<ref name="curran123" /> Ryder had gained a reputation for talent in preaching, which he did without notes. This was particularly admired by Archbishop [[Samuel Eccleston]], and Roothaan cited it as a source of many conversions to Catholicism.<ref name=kuzniewski33-34>{{harvnb|Kuzniewski|2014|pp=33–34}}</ref>

Word of his preaching reached President [[James Buchanan]], who would attend his sermons and who received private instruction in Catholicism from him.<ref name="croce14-15" /> Eventually, Ryder was described as the most well-known Catholic preacher in [[Antebellum South|antebellum America]].<ref name=curran121>{{harvnb|Curran|1993|p=121}}</ref> Twice during his presidency stones were thrown at him in the streets of Washington, one of these incidents occurring on April 26, 1844, as he was returning from the [[United States Capitol|Capitol Building]], where he had presided over the funeral of Representative [[Pierre Bossier]].<ref name=easby-smith79-80>{{harvnb|Easby-Smith|1907|pp=79–80}}</ref> Such [[Anti-Catholicism in the United States|anti-Catholic]] aggression was the outgrowth of the [[Know Nothing Movement|Know Nothing movement]] in the United States.<ref name="croce14-15" />

Ryder oversaw the establishment of the [[Georgetown University Astronomical Observatory|Georgetown College Observatory]] in 1842, a project spearheaded by [[James Curley (astronomer)|James Curley]].<ref name="easby-smith78" /> The opening of the observatory attracted several renowned [[List of Catholic clergy scientists|Jesuit scientists]] from Europe who were fleeing the [[Revolutions of 1848]].<ref name=curran139>{{harvnb|Curran|1993|p=139}}</ref> Moreover, the College of the Holy Cross was established in [[Worcester, Massachusetts]], in 1843, and Ryder sent Jesuits from Georgetown to teach there,<ref name=easby-smith78>{{harvnb|Easby-Smith|1907|p=78}}</ref> while graduates of the new college received a degree from Georgetown until it was independently [[University charter|chartered]] by the [[Massachusetts General Court]].<ref name=easby-smith79>{{harvnb|Easby-Smith|1907|p=79}}</ref> Through having been recognized by the [[United States Congress]] in 1815, the university, as the [[President and Directors of Georgetown College]], was officially incorporated by an act of Congress in 1844, and Ryder was named as one of the five members of the corporation.<ref name=easby-smith80-81>{{harvnb|Easby-Smith|1907|pp=80–81}}</ref> His term came to an end on January 10, 1845, when he was succeeded by [[Samuel Mulledy|Samuel A. Mulledy]].<ref name=easby-smith82>{{harvnb|Easby-Smith|1907|p=82}}</ref>

=== Second presidency ===

[[File:Holy Trinity Georgetown DC 01.jpg|thumb|right|Ryder oversaw construction of the new [[Holy Trinity Catholic Church (Washington, D.C.)|Holy Trinity Church]] in Georgetown.]]

In 1848, Ryder was appointed president of Georgetown for a second time, replacing Thomas Mulledy.<ref name="easby-smith85">{{harvnb|Easby-Smith|1907|p=85}}</ref> His first act was to build a new edifice for [[Holy Trinity Catholic Church (Washington, D.C.)|Holy Trinity Catholic Church]] in the Georgetown neighborhood, which was then located on college property.<ref name="croce14-15" /> He also implemented his fervent support for [[Temperance movement|temperance]] by prohibiting students from consuming alcohol on or off campus, and eventually applied this ban to the Jesuits as well. This unpopular policy was accompanied by a ban on [[smoking]].<ref name="croce14-15" />

In the fall of 1849,<ref name="curran146">{{harvnb|Curran|1993|p=146}}</ref> Ryder was approached by four physicians who had been excluded from the [[District of Columbia General Hospital|Washington Infirmary]] and established a new medical faculty. They asked that their faculty be incorporated into Georgetown as its medical department,<ref name="som" /> creating the first Catholic medical school in the United States.<ref name=oneill35>{{harvnb|O'Neill|Williams|2003|p=35}}</ref> Ryder accepted the proposition within a week, giving rise to the [[Georgetown University School of Medicine|Georgetown College School of Medicine]].<ref name="mcfadden296" /> He appointed the four petitioners as the first professors of the school on November 5, 1849,<ref name="mcfadden296">{{harvnb|McFadden|1990|p=296}}</ref> and the first classes were held in May 1851.<ref name="som">{{Cite web|url=https://som.georgetown.edu/history|title=History of Georgetown University's School of Medicine|website=Georgetown University School of Medicine|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181219140221/https://som.georgetown.edu/history|archive-date=December 19, 2018|url-status=live|access-date=December 19, 2018}}</ref>

A rebellion broke out among the students in 1850. It began when members of the Philodemic Society held a meeting one day, in defiance of the prefect's order to the contrary.<ref name="shea166" /> Ryder, who frequently left the college to preach, had been away for several weeks on a preaching tour.<ref name=curran136>{{harvnb|Curran|2012|p=136}}</ref> In response, the prefect suspended the society's meetings for one month. Upset at this decision, several members refused to perform their nightly reading at the [[refectory]], and later threw stones in the dormitory. When Ryder returned, he expelled three students. One of these entered the refectory that night and incited the students to insurrection, who stormed a Jesuit's room. Forty-four of the students abandoned the college for downtown Washington and wrote Ryder that they would not return until the three were re-admitted and the prefect replaced.<ref name="shea166">{{harvnb|Shea|1891|p=166}}</ref> With the students' hotel bills mounting and going unpaid, Ryder convinced them to return to the college and quit the rebellion. He later replaced the prefect with [[Bernard A. Maguire]].<ref name="shea167">{{harvnb|Shea|1891|p=167}}</ref>

Later that year, Ryder presided over the marriage of [[William Tecumseh Sherman]] and [[Eleanor Boyle Ewing Sherman|Eleanor Boyle Ewing]].<ref name=burton76-77>{{harvnb|Burton|1947|pp=76–77}}</ref> His presidency came to an end in 1851, and Ryder was replaced by [[Charles H. Stonestreet]].<ref name="shea172">{{harvnb|Shea|1891|p=172}}</ref>

== Maryland provincial ==

In September 1843, while president of Georgetown, Ryder was appointed the [[provincial superior]] of the [[Jesuit Maryland Province|Maryland Province]] of the Society of Jesus, with the strong support of his predecessor, [[Francis Dzierozynski]].<ref name=kuzniewski14>{{harvnb|Kuzniewski|2014|p=14}}</ref><ref name="kuzniewski32" /> Ryder voiced support that the Jesuits should sell their parochial property, leaving this to [[diocesan priest]]s, to instead focus on education in cities.<ref name=kuzniewski34>{{harvnb|Kuzniewski|2014|p=34}}</ref>

At the same time, the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston|Bishop of Boston]], [[Benedict Joseph Fenwick]], had become concerned with the cost of operating the newly established [[College of the Holy Cross]]. Therefore, he encouraged Ryder to accept ownership of the school on behalf of the Society of Jesus. The Superior General, Roothaan, delegated this decision to Ryder, who was initially hesitant to accept the college. By 1844, Ryder had privately decided to agree to the transfer,<ref name=kuzniewski44>{{harvnb|Kuzniewski|1999|p=44}}</ref> but this was not communicated to Fenwick and the deal formally struck until 1845 by Ryder's successor.<ref name=kuzniewski45>{{harvnb|Kuzniewski|1999|p=45}}</ref>

Ryder delegated much of his responsibility, though he remained in charge.<ref name="easby-smith79" /> He held the post until 1845; Jan Roothaan believed the province had to be put under the control of a European to rectify the compounding scandal and mismanagement that had begun under Thomas Mulledy. To that end, he was replaced by [[Peter Verhaegen]] of Belgium.<ref name="kuzniewski32">{{harvnb|Kuzniewski|2014|p=32}}</ref>

== College of the Holy Cross ==

[[File:James A. Ryder portrait.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|Photograph of Ryder|alt=Oval portrait of James Ryder]]

After his first presidency at Georgetown ended in 1845, Ryder went to Rome to clear his name in light of suspicions of his relationship with a woman who had exchanged letters with him.<ref name="kuzniewski33" /> He traveled to Rome in January by way of [[New York City]] and France.<ref name=alexandriagazette>{{Cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-jan-16-1845-1496537/|title=Dr. Ryder, President of Georgetown College and Provincial of the Jesuits ...|date=January 16, 1845|work=[[Alexandria Gazette]]|access-date=January 5, 2020|page=3}}</ref> In Italy, he recruited eight Jesuits to join him in the United States.<ref name=kuzniewski35>{{harvnb|Kuzniewski|2014|p=35}}</ref> One of these was a future [[List of presidents of the College of the Holy Cross|president of the College of the Holy Cross]], [[Anthony F. Ciampi]].<ref name="italianamerican116">{{harvnb|LaGumina|Cavaioli|Primeggia|Varacalli|2000|p=116}}</ref> Upon Ryder's return, suspicions continued, despite his defense that the correspondence involved only spiritual counseling, but they finally ceased following Roothaan's order in 1847 that the correspondence end.<ref name="kuzniewski33" />

Upon returning to the United States, he was appointed by Bishop Fenwick as president of the College of the Holy Cross on October 9, 1845, succeeding the school's first president, Thomas F. Mulledy.<ref name="historicalsketch16" /> As president, he oversaw the construction of an east wing at the college, in accordance with the original plan for the school, which contained a dining room, [[chapel]], study hall, and dormitory.<ref name="historicalsketch16" /> This wing was the only part of the school spared by a subsequent fire in 1852.<ref name="historicalsketch25">{{harvnb|''Historical Sketch of the College of the Holy Cross''|1883|p=25}}</ref> In 1846, he saw to the burial of the founder of the institution, Fenwick, in the college cemetery, pursuant to his wishes. The number of students increased during his administration.<ref name="historicalsketch16">{{harvnb|''Historical Sketch of the College of the Holy Cross''|1883|p=16}}</ref>

Ryder clashed with Thomas Mulledy during Mulledy's election as [[Procurator (canon law)|procurator]] of the Jesuits' Maryland province.<ref name=kuzniewski28>{{harvnb|Kuzniewski|2014|p=28}}</ref> As a result, he praised Ignatius Brocard's decision not to send Mulledy back to the College of the Holy Cross, where Mulledy was greatly disliked.<ref name=kuzniewski29>{{harvnb|Kuzniewski|2014|p=29}}</ref> The lack of discipline among the Jesuits at Holy Cross drew the commentary of both the Bishop of Boston, [[John Bernard Fitzpatrick]], and Roothaan, who were particularly concerned with the propensity for drinking among the priests.<ref name=kuzniewski51-52>{{harvnb|Kuzniewski|1999|pp=51–52}}</ref> Upon the end of his standard three-year term, Ryder was succeeded by [[John Early (educator)|John Early]] on August 29, 1848, and he returned to Georgetown.<ref name="historicalsketch16" />

== Later years == === Saint Joseph's College ===

In 1851, he moved to [[Philadelphia]], where he assisted in the founding of [[Saint Joseph's University|Saint Joseph's College]].<ref name="kuzniewski32" /> He was made the [[pastor]] of [[St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)|St. John the Evangelist Church]] on September 30, 1855, when he replaced Richard Kinahan to become the first Jesuit in this position,<ref name=griffin395>{{harvnb|Griffin|1909|p=395}}</ref> and remained until he was succeeded by John McGuigan on October 4, 1858.<ref name=griffin396>{{harvnb|Griffin|1909|p=396}}</ref>

In the meantime, he was appointed the [[List of presidents of Saint Joseph's University|president of Saint Joseph's College]] in 1856, following its first president [[Felix-Joseph Barbelin]]. Ryder sought to relocate the college from Willings Alley to the existing school building at St. John's, which would involve the transfer in ownership of the [[pro-cathedral]] from the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia|Diocese of Philadelphia]] to the Jesuits; the diocese was unwilling to entertain this offer.<ref name="croce14-15" />

In light of the ongoing Know Nothing movement, Ryder was referred to for some time as "Doctor Ryder" rather than "Father Ryder". He also wore [[Laity|layman's]] clothes, such as a [[bow tie]] rather than a [[Clerical collar|Roman collar]], in accordance with the orders of Charles Stonestreet, the Maryland provincial, that the Jesuits should not wear their clerical attire. Ryder's tenure lasted only until 1857 before he was succeeded by [[James A. Ward]]. He was forced to resign the presidency due to his deteriorating health, though his likeness endures in the form of a [[gargoyle]] of [[Barbelin Hall]].<ref name="croce14-15">{{harvnb|Croce|2017|pp=14–15}}</ref>

=== Pastoral work ===

Because of his oratorical skills, Ryder was sent to raise money for St. Joseph's College in [[California]] in 1852, where he raised $5,000 ({{Inflation|index=US|value=5000|start_year=1852|r=-4|fmt=eq}}{{Inflation/fn|US}}).<ref name="kuzniewski34" /> While there, he fell ill, and briefly went to [[Havana]], [[Cuba]], and then to the [[Southern United States]], where he recuperated for several months.<ref name=mclaughlin20>{{harvnb|McLaughlin|1860|p=20}}</ref> He was then stationed at St. Joseph's until 1856, when he was made the rector of [[St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church (Frederick, Maryland)|St. John the Evangelist Church]] in [[Frederick, Maryland]].<ref name="kuzniewski32" />

In 1857, he was transferred to [[Alexandria, Virginia]], to do pastoral work, and he returned to Philadelphia in 1859 as spiritual prefect at St. Joseph's College.<ref name="kuzniewski33">{{harvnb|Kuzniewski|2014|p=33}}</ref> Ryder died on January 12, 1860, in the [[rectory]] of [[Old St. Joseph's Church]] in Philadelphia, following a brief illness.<ref name="easby-smith88" /><ref name="mcadams241">{{harvnb|McAdams|1950|p=241}}</ref> His body was transported back to Georgetown to be buried in the [[Jesuit Community Cemetery]].<ref name="mclaughlin19">{{harvnb|McLaughlin|1860|p=19}}</ref>

== References == === Citations ===

{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===

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== External links ==

{{Commons category|James A. Ryder}} * [https://www.holycross.edu/archives-and-special-collections/rev-james-ryder-sj Profile at College of the Holy Cross]

{{s-start}} {{s-aca}} {{s-bef | before = [[Joseph A. Lopez]] | as = Acting President }} {{s-ttl | title = [[List of presidents of Georgetown University|President of Georgetown College]] | order = 20th | years = 1840–1845 }} {{s-aft | after = [[Samuel Mulledy]] }}

{{s-bef | before = [[Thomas F. Mulledy]] }} {{s-ttl | title = [[List of presidents of the College of the Holy Cross|President of the College of the Holy Cross]] | order = 2nd | years = 1845–1848 }} {{s-aft | after = [[John Early (educator)|John Early]] }}

{{s-bef | before = [[Thomas F. Mulledy]] }} {{s-ttl | title = [[List of presidents of Georgetown University|President of Georgetown College]] | order = 23rd | years = 1848–1851 }} {{s-aft | after = [[Charles H. Stonestreet]] }}

{{s-bef | before = [[Felix-Joseph Barbelin]] }} {{s-ttl | title = [[List of presidents of Saint Joseph's University|President of Saint Joseph's College]] | order = 2nd | years = 1856–1857 }} {{s-aft | after = [[James A. Ward]] }}

{{s-rel|ca}} {{s-bef | before = [[Francis Dzierozynski]] | as = Vice-Provincial Superior }} {{s-ttl | title = [[Provincial Superior]] of the [[Jesuit Maryland Province]] | order = 4th | years = 1843–1845 }} {{s-aft | after = [[Peter Verhaegen]] }}

{{s-bef | before = Richard Kinahan }} {{s-ttl | title = Pastor of the [[St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)|Church of St. John the Evangelist]] | years = 1855–1858 }} {{s-aft | after = John McGuigan }} {{s-end}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryder. James A.}} [[Category:1800 births]] [[Category:1860 deaths]] [[Category:Christian clergy from Dublin (city)]] [[Category:Irish emigrants to the United States]] [[Category:American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent]] [[Category:Georgetown University College of Arts & Sciences alumni]] [[Category:Philodemic Society members]] [[Category:19th-century American Jesuits]] [[Category:Provincial superiors of the Jesuit Maryland Province]] [[Category:Presidents of Georgetown University]] [[Category:Presidents of the College of the Holy Cross]] [[Category:Presidents of Saint Joseph's University]] [[Category:19th-century American educators]] [[Category:Burials at the Georgetown University Jesuit Community Cemetery]] [[Category:Pastors of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church (Frederick, Maryland)]] [[Category:Deans and Prefects of Studies of the Georgetown University College of Arts & Sciences]]