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Office of the President & Chancellor: James F. Mooney records

 Collection
Identifier: SHU-0003-008

Scope and Contents

The collection contains letters and correspondence regarding the Seton Hall fire of 1909 as well as the Seton Hall College vs. Village of South Orange case from 1911-1915. Also included are two portait photographs of President Mooney in academic regalia and a memorial card from his funeral.

Dates

  • 1910-1928, undated

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open to researchers at the Msgr. William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center. Advance appointments are required for the use of archival materials.

Conditions Governing Use

All materials available in this collection (unless otherwise noted) are the property of the Monsignor William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center and Seton Hall University, which reserves the right to limit access to or reproduction of these materials. Reproduction of materials or content is subject to United States copyright restrictions and may be subject to federal or state privacy regulations. Permission to publish exact reproductions must be obtained from the Director of the Archives and Special Collections Center.

Biographical / Historical

James F. Mooney was the eighth president of Seton Hall. He was born September 19, 1864 in Brooklyn, New York. He attended both St. Francis Xavier's College in New York City and St. Francis' College in Brooklyn before finishing at Seton Hall in 1884. He studied at Brignole-Sale in Genoa, Italy and on September 21, 1889 was ordained there. Mooney returned to the United States to serve at St. Mary's in Jersey City, NJ and St. Cecilia's Church in Kearny, NJ. He then came to Seton Hall as a professor of Latin and English. At the seminary he assumed the role of vice rector as well as professor of theology and canon law. In 1907 he was elected to serve as President and Treasurer of Seton Hall.

Mooney's tenure saw the rise of the Setonia Athletic Association. In 1908 the baseball team joined in intercollegiate games and in 1909 basketball did the same. In 1909 the College building was completely destroyed in a fire; no lives were lost and students managed to save the library's books. Within two months of the fire construction began on a new building.

In 1911, Father Mooney was raised to Monsignor. On August 2, 1922 he asked to be relieved of his post as President due to ill health. He served at St. Joseph's Church in Jersey City, NJ until his death on February 27, 1928.

Source: Kennely, Edward F. A Historical Study of Seton Hall College. Ph.D. dissertation, New York University, 1944.

Extent

4 folders

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

James F. Mooney was the eighth president of Seton Hall College, from 1907-1922. The collection contains correspondence, a memorial card from Rev. Mooney's funeral, and a photograph of President Mooney.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into three series: 1. Correspondence and letters; 2. Personal Papers; 3. Photographs.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Materials were transferred to the Archives and Special Collections Center from Seton Hall University. Terms of accession unknown.

Processing Information

Collection processed as part of Record Group 3: Office of the President by the Archives and Special Collections Center. Re-processed as separate collection and finding aid reformatted, M. Kenny, July 2007. Finding aid revised by Benjamin Clark and Tracy M. Jackson as part of the Overhaul Project collection survey, 2012, 2013. Collection re-processed and finding aid revised by Patrick McCall, March 2020.

Title
Office of the President & Chancellor: James F. Mooney records, 1910-1928, undated
Author
Maura Kenny. Edited by Patrick McCall
Date
2007, 2020
Description rules
Rules for Archival Description
Language of description
English
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the The Monsignor Field Archives & Special Collection Center Repository

Contact:
Archives, Walsh Library
400 South Orange Ave
South Orange NJ 07079 US
973-761-9476