Fr. John F. Dolphin Presidential Records

John F. Dolphin was born May 25, 1861 in Haverhill, Massachusetts.  He attended Holy Cross College, Boston College, and St. Charles College before graduating from St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, MD.  He was ordained as a priest for the St. Paul Diocese on June 2, 1886 by Cardinal Gibbons in Baltimore, MD and appointed to Holy Angels Parish in Hastings, Minnesota in August 1886.  Dolphin was chosen by Archbishop Ireland to be commissioned as an Army Chaplain at Fort Snelling in 1888, a post he served in until 1893.  He was then assigned to St. Patrick's Parish in St. Paul. Archbishop Ireland named him the fifth President of St. Thomas College in August 1899.  Dolphin  remained in this position until April 1903 when he was forced to resign for  health reasons. He was appointed Pastor of St. Stephen's Parish in Minneapolis in June 1904 when his health improved.  Ill health returned to Fr. Dolphin in 1911 when he was forced to take another leave of absence from his duties. In 1912, he received permission from Archbishop Ireland to journey westward in search of a better climate for his health. Dolphin was subsequently appointed to the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon.  He served in several parishes in Oregon until 1919 when his health again deteriorated and he returned to St. Paul.  He passed away in January 1920 at the age of 59.