this was widely known outside of Jesuit circles. Despite his appearance and self-identity, there was some speculation about his race in his early life. While decrying racism in the United States in an 1862 article, Orestes Brownson, a Catholic convert who knew the Healy family personally, alluded to the Healy brothers who became priests as belonging to the category of "men with large admixture of negro blood, born of slave mothers." Likewise, while in school, Patrick Healy faced rumors among classmates that his White but slightly dark complexion was due to the presence of some "Spanish blood." Of the three Healy brothers who were priests, only Alexander Sherwood Healy appeared Black. Though Healy's biracial background was not widely known during his lifetime, there was a resurgent interest in his history in the mid-20th century. In the early 1950s, Jesuit sociologist Albert S. Foley began inquiring into the history of the Healy family, culminating in a 1954 book that described their mixed race. In the 1960s and 1970s, Georgetown University began publicly identifying Healy as Black. Georgetown University In 1866, Healy returned to Maryland and was appointed the chair of philosophy at Georgetown University, which was recovering from the damage of the Civil War. In 1867, he professed his final vows. The following year, he became the prefect of schools. Healy was briefly stationed at St. Mary's Church in Alexandria, Virginia. He developed a friendship with Julia Gardiner Tyler, the widow of President John Tyler, and with her conversion to Catholicism, acted as her godfather during her conditional baptism in May 1872. As early as 1869, there was talk of naming Healy to succeed Bernard A. Maguire, who was in his second term as president of the university. The provincial superior, Joseph Keller, had described Healy as the most qualified candidate, but the superiors in Rome decided on John Early due to Healy's race. When Early became ill, Keller proposed to the superiors in Rome that John Bapst succeed him, while Healy would replace Bapst as the president of Boston College, believing that his race would be less of an issue at the New England school. Rome rejected this arrangement, deciding that Bapst should remain in Boston. As president Early's health began to fail, Healy increasingly assumed the duties of the presidency. Presidency On May 23, 1873, Early died suddenly, and Keller made Healy the acting rector. The following day, the