Wikipedia:Today's featured article/February 27, 2022

Patrick Francis Healy (February 27, 1834 – January 10, 1910) was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit. While Healy was one-sixteenth black and considered himself to be white, he was posthumously recognized as the first black American to become a Jesuit, to earn a PhD, and to become the president of a predominantly white university. Born in Georgia, Healy was legally considered a slave by birth and was sent north by his father to be educated alongside his brothers. After studying in Massachusetts, Healy entered the Society of Jesus and eventually earned his doctorate in Belgium. Healy was named the chair of philosophy at Georgetown University in 1866 and became its president in 1873. He aimed to transform the institution into a modern university by expanding courses in the sciences, raising standards at the medical school, and growing the law school. He also had constructed the university's flagship building, Healy Hall. For this, he became known as Georgetown's "second founder".