Thomas F. Mulledy

The Very Reverend Thomas F. Mulledy SJ
17th & 22nd President of Georgetown College
In office 1845–1848
Preceded by	Samuel Mulledy
Succeeded by	James A. Ryder
In office 1825–1837
Preceded by	John W. Beschter
Succeeded by	William McSherry
1st President of the College of the Holy Cross
In office 1843–1845
Succeeded by	James A. Ryder
Personal details
Born	(1794-08-12)August 12, 1794 Romney, Virginia, U.S.[a]
Died	July 20, 1860(1860-07-20) (aged 65) Georgetown, D.C., U.S.[b]
Resting place	Jesuit Community Cemetery
Relations	Samuel Mulledy (brother)
Alma mater	Georgetown College Pontificio Collegio Urbano de Propaganda Fide
Signature
Orders
Ordination	1825

Thomas F. Mulledy SJ (/mʌˈleɪdi/ muh-LAY-dee;^[2] August 12, 1794 – July 20, 1860) was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who became the president of Georgetown College, a founder of the College of the Holy Cross, and a Jesuit provincial superior. His brother, Samuel Mulledy, also became a Jesuit and president of Georgetown.

Mulledy entered the Society of Jesus and was educated for the priesthood in Rome, before completing his education in the United States. He twice served as president of Georgetown College in Washington, D.C. At Georgetown, Mulledy undertook a significant building campaign, which resulted in Gervase Hall and Mulledy Hall (later renamed Isaac Hawkins Hall). He became the second provincial superior of the Maryland Province of the Jesuit order, and orchestrated the sale of the province's slaves in 1838 to settle its debts. This resulted in outcry from his fellow Jesuits and censure by the church authorities in Rome, who exiled him to Nice in the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia for several years. While provincial superior, Mulledy was also the vicar general for the Diocese of Boston.

Following his return to the United States, Mulledy was appointed as the first president of the College of the Holy Cross in 1843 and oversaw its establishment, including the construction of its first building. Both in the United States and in Rome, he developed a reputation as combative and insubordinate, much to the discontent of his fellow Jesuits and his superiors. Others praised him for his administrative skills. In his later years, he was prolific in delivering sermons at Holy Cross, and played a role in seeing the college through investigations by the Know Nothing Party. He also served as pastor of St. John the Evangelist Church and president of St. John's Literary Institution in Frederick, Maryland, where he expelled a significant portion of the student body for protesting the strict discipline he imposed, leading to the school's permanent decline. He then was assigned as pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown, and briefly as the superior at Saint Joseph's College in Philadelphia.

In 2015, Georgetown renamed Mulledy Hall due to Mulledy's involvement in the 1838 slave sale. His name was also removed from a building at the College of the Holy Cross in 2020.

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