Presidents list  Archives' site index  Biography Index

    At the end of Fr. Fidelis' term, Fr. Alexander Hickey was elected as the tenth president. Fr. Alexander, a native of Ireland, was born June 3, 1865. After elementary education in Ireland he came to St. Bonaventure as a student in 1889. He was received into the order and finished his novitiate at St. Bonaventure. While studying to become a priest he joined the faculty teaching English, Greek, Arithmetic, and Geometry. He was ordained in 1896, and, for a short time, he was stationed at St. Joseph's parish in Winsted, Connecticut. In 1899 he returned to St. Bonaventure and was part of the faculty until he died in  1929. 

    Fr. Alexander's term came during a time where the United States Government established new demands in the education fields requiring colleges to move towards the elective system used today. It was also during his time period that colleges began to use the credit hour system which is still used today. A credit hour is equivalent to one hour of lecture time a week. The requirement for a bachelor's degree in arts or science was one hundred seventy credits. It was under Fr. Alexander that  St. Bonaventure's first bachelor of science degree was presented. When Fr. Fidelis became  president in 1911 there were two hundred thirty-three students in all three sections--preparatory school, college and seminary. The last year of Fr. Alexander's term enrollment saw one hundred sixteen new seminarians, one hundred fourteen new high school students and eighty-six new college students.   Fr. Alexander resigned in 1920 because of ill health, but he remained a member of the faculty until his death in 1923. 

Fr. Alexander Hickey Memorial Dining Hall

Previous president    Next president

Biographical Information:

NAME: HICKEY, ALEXANDER (FR) (OFM)

OTHER NAMES/ SPELLINGS: NONE

DATE OF BIRTH: 1865-06-03

PLACE OF BIRTH: CAPPAUNIAC, IRELAND

RECEPTION INTO ORDER: 1890-04-27

ORDINATION DATE: 1896-06-24                    

WHERE ORDAINED: UNKNOWN

SERVED AT SBU: 1892-1893 FACULTY\1899-1920

SERVED AS PRES: 1916-1920

SERVED ELSEWHERE: 1896-ASSIGNED TO ST. JOSEPH'S PARISH-WINSTED, CONNECTICUT

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 1ST BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE AWARDED 1917-06-14 TO VINCENT SHEA OF NEW CASTLE, PENNSYLVANIA\1ST DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY AWARDED TO REVEREND ANTHONY COLLINS 1917-06-14

DEATH DATE: 1929-10-23

BURIAL LOCATION: NEW YORK, NEW YORK

BUILDINGS NAMED AFTER: Fr. Alexander Hickey Memorial Dinning Hall-FEBRUARY 4,1931

LOCATION OF PHOTOS: ARCHIVES\FOUNDER'S ROOM

Bibliography:

Angelo,  Mark V., OFM. The History of St. Bonaventure University. St. Bonaventure, NY: Franciscan Institute, 1961. 

Hammon, Walter,  OFM. The First Bonaventure Men. Paterson, NJ: St. Anthony Guild Press, 1958. 

St. Bonaventure University Archives Presidents Files