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Dagger John: Archbishop John Hughes and the Making of Irish America
Acclaimed biographer John Loughery tells the story of John Hughes, son of Ireland, friend of William Seward and James Buchanan, founder of St. John’s College (now Fordham University), builder of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue, pioneer of parochial-school education, and American diplomat. As archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York in the 1840 and 1850s and the most famous Roman Catholic in America, Hughes defended Catholic institutions in a time of nativist bigotry and church burnings and worked tirelessly to help Irish Catholic immigrants find acceptance in their new homeland. His galvanizing and protecting work and pugnacious style earned him the epithet Dagger John. When the interests of his church and ethnic community were at stake, Hughes acted with purpose and clarity. In Dagger John , Loughery reveals Hughes’s life as it unfolded amid turbulent times for the religious and ethnic minority he represented. Hughes the public figure comes to the fore, illuminated by Loughery’s retelling of his interactions with, and responses to, every major figure of his era, including his critics (Walt Whitman, James Gordon Bennett, and Horace Greeley) and his admirers (Henry Clay, Stephen Douglas, and Abraham Lincoln). Loughery peels back the layers of the public life of this complicated man, showing how he reveled in the controversies he provoked and believed he had lived to see many of his goals achieved until his dreams came crashing down during the Draft Riots of 1863 when violence set Manhattan ablaze. To know "Dagger" John Hughes is to understand the United States during a painful period of growth as the nation headed toward civil war. Dagger John’s successes and failures, his public relationships and private trials, and his legacy in the Irish Catholic community and beyond provide context and layers of detail for the larger history of a modern culture unfolding in his wake.
424 pages, Hardcover
Published March 15, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 9, 2018
I received a review copy of this book from Net Galley and Three Hills Publishing, which is affiliated with Cornell University, free of charge. This book is now for sale.
Since retirement, I have often taken my reading outside of my comfort zone, and at times I’ve been rewarded. I took a chance in requesting this biography because I have a peripheral interest in church history, and American history and Irish history are more direct interests. However, in this case there is too much assumed knowledge to be readily accessible to an acolyte of the region. My only trip to New York was a weekend tourist jaunt, and I have never been to the church in question. However, I am drawn to the resistance he put forth during the “Know Nothing” period of anti-immigrant sentiment, and now is certainly the time to receive such a cautionary tale.
The claim that this man “made” Irish America seems overstated to me.
That’s not to say that it won’t interest you. The documentation is as unimpeachable as one would expect from a highly regarded university, and scholars with a specialized area of interest will likely find this a treasure because it is so specific. A niche audience may rate this title as four stars; I find it too dry a read to imagine five. But it isn’t intended to be a popular read but a scholarly one.
A solid niche read for those with interests that are aligned with the author’s.
Since retirement, I have often taken my reading outside of my comfort zone, and at times I’ve been rewarded. I took a chance in requesting this biography because I have a peripheral interest in church history, and American history and Irish history are more direct interests. However, in this case there is too much assumed knowledge to be readily accessible to an acolyte of the region. My only trip to New York was a weekend tourist jaunt, and I have never been to the church in question. However, I am drawn to the resistance he put forth during the “Know Nothing” period of anti-immigrant sentiment, and now is certainly the time to receive such a cautionary tale.
The claim that this man “made” Irish America seems overstated to me.
That’s not to say that it won’t interest you. The documentation is as unimpeachable as one would expect from a highly regarded university, and scholars with a specialized area of interest will likely find this a treasure because it is so specific. A niche audience may rate this title as four stars; I find it too dry a read to imagine five. But it isn’t intended to be a popular read but a scholarly one.
A solid niche read for those with interests that are aligned with the author’s.
November 14, 2023
An interesting read about the establishment of the Catholic Church in New York and New Jersey in the early to mid 1800s. A primary focus of the author is on the plight of the multitudes of unskilled Irish immigrants to the United States. Hughes fights for the etablishment of churches, orphanages, and schools while battling bigotry, violence, and impoverishment of the Irish-Catholic poulation, often butting heads with those within the church hierarchy.
This is a dense book, even if the topic is interesting-- there are so many details.
This is a dense book, even if the topic is interesting-- there are so many details.
March 20, 2021
Well balanced biography of a complicated man who has been either portrayed as a saint or a villain, of which he was neither. If you are capable of thinking for yourself it is a good read.
May 26, 2022
I finished reading this book about Archbishop John Hughes (1797 - 1864), the fourth Bishop and first Archbishop of New York. I found it to be a fascinating book, both dealing with the mid-nineteenth century and with the problems that Catholic Irish immigrants faced in America. Hughes saw himself as a Catholic first, and as an Irish American second, and he never pulled punches in defending his church or his ethnicity. I very much enjoyed reading this book.
Born in Northern Ireland in County Tyrone in 1796 as the middle child (two older brothers and two younger sisters) by the time mortality had sorted out the rest of the family, he was apprenticed to a gardener to study horticulture, and with his family he emigrated to America in 1817, settling in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. He made several unsuccessful applications to Mount St. Mary's College in Emmitsburg, Maryland, where he was eventually hired by its Rector, the Abbé John Dubois, S.S., as a gardener. He also met Mother Elizabeth Seton, who convinced the Rector to admit Hughes. He was ordained to the priesthood in Philadelphia in 1826, and ten years later was ordained as the coadjutor Bishop of New York, under Bishop John Dubois. Hughes soon became famous (or, in some circles, infamous) for his pugnacious support of Catholicism in general and of Irish Catholics in particular. At this time Catholicism was vilified, and Irish Catholic were the lowest of the low in the social class and in the public imagination, a situation not improved with the massive immigration of thousands of poor Irish during the Potato Famine. He was utterly convinced that education was the way up for Irish Catholics (after insuring they had enough priests and churches to keep their souls). After a failed fight to secure state support for parochial schools, he established the independent Catholic school system in New York. In 1841 he founded St. John's College, which would later become Fordham University. Upon Bishop Dubois' death in 1842, Hughes became Bishop of New York, taking over a diocese which covered the entire State of New York and northern New Jersey, and having only some forty priests to serve a Catholic population estimated to be about two hundred thousand at the time. In 1846 a branch of the Sisters of Charity, the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul of New York, was formed under his auspices, mainly so that he could have control of where to send nuns when needed; his younger sister was a nun in the order, and she became superior of the order in 1855. Hughes became an archbishop on July 19th, 1850, when the diocese was elevated to the status of archdiocese by Pope Pius IX. As archbishop, Hughes became the metropolitan for the Catholic bishops serving all the dioceses established in the entire Northeastern United States. He convened the first meeting of the Ecclesiastical Province of New York in September 1854. After this he traveled to Rome, where he was present at the proclamation of the Immaculate Conception as a dogma of the Catholic Church by Pope Pius. He laid the cornerstone of St. Patrick's Cathedral in 1858, which was not completed until two decades after his death. While Hughes did not endorse slavery, he suggested that the conditions of the "starving laborers" in the Northern states were often worse than that of those held in bondage in the South. He believed the Abolitionist movement veered towards ideological excess. Hughes served as President Lincoln's semiofficial envoy to the Vatican and to France in late 1861 and early 1862. Lincoln also sought Hughes' advice on the appointment of hospital chaplains. Hughes held a strong commitment to the cause of Irish freedom but also felt that immigrants, particularly his fellow Irish immigrants, should demonstrate their unswerving loyalty to their adopted land. He now rests under the altar of St. Patrick Cathedral.
This book shows the Archbishop, warts and all, he did not suffer fools gladly, he was accused of being autocratic, and he never backed away from a fight. (His nickname of Dagger John came from his habit, as with most religious, of appending a cross after his signature, which the Anti-Catholic press decided was a dagger aimed at American values.) I loved this book, not least because a substantial portion of my ancestry is Irish Catholic (though my people came through Baltimore in the 1840s before settling in and near Huntingdon, Pennsylvania). And also because anti-Catholicism still does exist, though it is not something I see much of in Southwestcentral Louisiana (but I saw plenty when living in West Virginia while growing up). I very much recommend this book.
Born in Northern Ireland in County Tyrone in 1796 as the middle child (two older brothers and two younger sisters) by the time mortality had sorted out the rest of the family, he was apprenticed to a gardener to study horticulture, and with his family he emigrated to America in 1817, settling in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. He made several unsuccessful applications to Mount St. Mary's College in Emmitsburg, Maryland, where he was eventually hired by its Rector, the Abbé John Dubois, S.S., as a gardener. He also met Mother Elizabeth Seton, who convinced the Rector to admit Hughes. He was ordained to the priesthood in Philadelphia in 1826, and ten years later was ordained as the coadjutor Bishop of New York, under Bishop John Dubois. Hughes soon became famous (or, in some circles, infamous) for his pugnacious support of Catholicism in general and of Irish Catholics in particular. At this time Catholicism was vilified, and Irish Catholic were the lowest of the low in the social class and in the public imagination, a situation not improved with the massive immigration of thousands of poor Irish during the Potato Famine. He was utterly convinced that education was the way up for Irish Catholics (after insuring they had enough priests and churches to keep their souls). After a failed fight to secure state support for parochial schools, he established the independent Catholic school system in New York. In 1841 he founded St. John's College, which would later become Fordham University. Upon Bishop Dubois' death in 1842, Hughes became Bishop of New York, taking over a diocese which covered the entire State of New York and northern New Jersey, and having only some forty priests to serve a Catholic population estimated to be about two hundred thousand at the time. In 1846 a branch of the Sisters of Charity, the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul of New York, was formed under his auspices, mainly so that he could have control of where to send nuns when needed; his younger sister was a nun in the order, and she became superior of the order in 1855. Hughes became an archbishop on July 19th, 1850, when the diocese was elevated to the status of archdiocese by Pope Pius IX. As archbishop, Hughes became the metropolitan for the Catholic bishops serving all the dioceses established in the entire Northeastern United States. He convened the first meeting of the Ecclesiastical Province of New York in September 1854. After this he traveled to Rome, where he was present at the proclamation of the Immaculate Conception as a dogma of the Catholic Church by Pope Pius. He laid the cornerstone of St. Patrick's Cathedral in 1858, which was not completed until two decades after his death. While Hughes did not endorse slavery, he suggested that the conditions of the "starving laborers" in the Northern states were often worse than that of those held in bondage in the South. He believed the Abolitionist movement veered towards ideological excess. Hughes served as President Lincoln's semiofficial envoy to the Vatican and to France in late 1861 and early 1862. Lincoln also sought Hughes' advice on the appointment of hospital chaplains. Hughes held a strong commitment to the cause of Irish freedom but also felt that immigrants, particularly his fellow Irish immigrants, should demonstrate their unswerving loyalty to their adopted land. He now rests under the altar of St. Patrick Cathedral.
This book shows the Archbishop, warts and all, he did not suffer fools gladly, he was accused of being autocratic, and he never backed away from a fight. (His nickname of Dagger John came from his habit, as with most religious, of appending a cross after his signature, which the Anti-Catholic press decided was a dagger aimed at American values.) I loved this book, not least because a substantial portion of my ancestry is Irish Catholic (though my people came through Baltimore in the 1840s before settling in and near Huntingdon, Pennsylvania). And also because anti-Catholicism still does exist, though it is not something I see much of in Southwestcentral Louisiana (but I saw plenty when living in West Virginia while growing up). I very much recommend this book.
November 16, 2023
This informative biography brings to life a lesser known (to me at least) American cleric and his times. Ordained at the end of the Era of Good Feelings, Rev. Hughes would guide the diocese of New York (archdiocese from 1850) through two turbulent decades leading up to the Civil War, and through 32 months of that conflict. Mr. Loughery does his best to fulfill the promise of his subtitle "...and the Making of Irish America" but his story is really that of the transformation of America overall. Hughes was a man who can be admired but hardly liked today. An ultramontane whose authoritarian views on race and women's rights are utterly outmoded in a post-Vatican II world, his character was shaped by battles he fought to protect and expand the Church in America, even when many of its clergy and laity disagreed with him. He saw the "brutal, untamed" America of the 1840s become a nation beginning a long struggle to redefine itself in the visionary terms of its Constitution. The country (Maryland) that Patrick Hughes reached in 1816 was no longer the haven for Catholics envisioned by Lord Baltimore, but just another British colony with an established Protestant church and property requirements that denied most men the franchise (along with all women and virtually all free blacks). His son worked hard to get the opportunity for education and social advancement that the priesthood offered. Never shying away from controversy, he gained admirers and detractors in equal numbers throughout his life. The New York flock he was sent to shepherd lived in a political cauldron still dominated by Calvinists descended from Dutch and English colonists. Hughes' strength, and his great contribution, was the creation of an Irish community. It become a model of assimilation, imperfect at best, violently fractious at worst, but it would eventually transform despised aliens into reasonably pious and patriotic citizens who understood and loved the nation that had taken them in. Hughes did not live see the completion of 'new' St. Patrick's, true Emancipation or the Irish triumph epitomized by Charlie Murphy and Al Smith, but ironically, his life's work helped made all of those things possible.
June 1, 2020
This is a very interesting biography of John Hughes, who was Archbishop of New York during the 1840s and 50s. Having grown up in Ireland, Hughes was the face of the Catholic Church in the United States, establishing many customs, churches, and influencing the creation of Catholic schools. At times a fiery and brash figure, Hughes lead the Catholic Church through times of extreme prejudice and hatred from the Protestant Church, culminating in riots and church burnings. He was loathed by many political figures of his day, but also found admirers in presidents Buchanan and Lincoln. Hughes obviously did much to further the Catholic cause in the states, but also often preached rhetoric of tolerance and freedom for all religions. Despite his good words and deeds, Hughes also had a notably backwards stance on abolition, and often his actions didn’t completely line up with his speeches. A controversial figure with a complex legacy, Hughes nevertheless remains a towering figure in early Irish America. This book is recommended for anyone interested in the early days of Irish immigration and for those interested in the history of New York as well. Given the quality of the text and the resume of the author, I am surprised this book doesn’t have many more reviews.
March 23, 2018
John Hughes left his native County Tyrone, Ireland and arrived in America virtually penniless in 1817. Through indomitable hard work and ambition he became Archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York in the 1840s and one of the most well-known Catholics of his time, and he remains a larger-than-life character to this day. He was enormously influential and tireless in his efforts for American Catholics who were often reviled and treated with suspicion. He established schools and seminaries and founded St Patrick's Cathedral – although he never lived to see its completion. He was, and remains, a controversial figure, but his efforts would one day make the election of a Catholic President perfectly acceptable. He lived through turbulent times and sometimes created some of that turbulence himself – hence Dagger being added to his name. The book is not just a biography but an in-depth account of the social and political milieu in which he lived and worked. As a biography it is comprehensive, meticulously researched and detailed, although it must be said also dry and academic at times. A worthwhile and interesting read.
March 26, 2020
John Hughes, a poor Irish immigrant, became the Archbishop of New York creating in many ways the personality of the Catholic Church in America. Faced with priests who didn't necessarily follow a uniform policies (not wearing collars off-duty), he got the priests and the parishes to follow a system of fiscal and social responsibility. He pushed for the creation of Catholic Schools (my friends who grew up in the 1950s can blame him), created Fordham University in the Bronx, and set the cornerstone for St. Patrick's Cathedral, among other things. Not one to shy away from an argument, he was the face of the Catholic Church in America to thousands of people.
He came to New York before the potato famine which flooded New York (and America) with Catholics who needed an anchor and a defender. Hughes tried to be that to the immigrants.
Of interest to Catholics and to those interested in the history of New York.
He came to New York before the potato famine which flooded New York (and America) with Catholics who needed an anchor and a defender. Hughes tried to be that to the immigrants.
Of interest to Catholics and to those interested in the history of New York.
July 24, 2019
Outstanding Book
My great-grandfathers and great-great grandfathers lived in New York during John Hughes tenure as bishop and archbishop. This book gives justice to the great man they considered him to be, defender of the Irish and, more importantly, Defender of the Faith. Everything my family has today derives from his never-ending struggle to defend his "flock". This book is an estimable biography of a great man, a great priest, a great bishop, a great Irishman, and a great American. I will always gratefully remember his services to my 19th century Irish relatives and to the Church with gratitude and reverence. God bless your memory, Dagger John.
Five stars
My great-grandfathers and great-great grandfathers lived in New York during John Hughes tenure as bishop and archbishop. This book gives justice to the great man they considered him to be, defender of the Irish and, more importantly, Defender of the Faith. Everything my family has today derives from his never-ending struggle to defend his "flock". This book is an estimable biography of a great man, a great priest, a great bishop, a great Irishman, and a great American. I will always gratefully remember his services to my 19th century Irish relatives and to the Church with gratitude and reverence. God bless your memory, Dagger John.
Five stars
November 16, 2023
An interesting read about the establishment of the Catholic Church in New York and New Jersey in the early to mid1800s. A primary focus of the author is on the plight of the multitudes of unskilled Irish immigrants to the United States. Hughes fought for the establishment of churches, orphanages, and schools while battling bigotry, violence, and impoverishment of the Irish-Catholic population, often butting heads with those within the church hierarchy. This is a dense book, even if the topic is interesting.
September 11, 2020
A good biography of the man and an interesting history of Catholicism in America during his life as well as the connection between Catholicism and Irish Identity in America in the 19th century. Very well written and extensively researched.
However, this is a specific historical read, I wouldn't recommend it to someone unless they already have a deep interest in the topics and enjoying reading history.
However, this is a specific historical read, I wouldn't recommend it to someone unless they already have a deep interest in the topics and enjoying reading history.
October 15, 2022
After my grandmother reminded me of our family connection, I was excited to read this biography of my many times removed great uncle and connect family lore to researched fact. The book was readable and enjoyable, I did think there were times where the author leaned too far into defending Archbishop Hughes as a man of his time rather than accepting some character flaws
August 21, 2018
Interesting read. It has been said, the more we change the more we remain the same. This book could be a good source to prove this statement to be true
July 2, 2019
Strong Archbishop Fought Anti-Catholic Bigotry
Archbishop Hughes was a strong willed standard bearer of the Catholic Church and the faithful in mid 18th century America
Archbishop Hughes was a strong willed standard bearer of the Catholic Church and the faithful in mid 18th century America
July 8, 2019
A very well-written, fascinating book. I learned much.
November 8, 2019
Incredibly well researched, well written. An interesting look at political times thru the eyes of this Irish Catholic cleric.
November 3, 2024
An excellent and fair-minded biography of a great man who also was greatly flawed. The author is meticulous in not engaging in presentism but rather in understanding Hughes as a man of his times.
March 28, 2025
A very well done history book. At times, a little too close to the man himself, if such a thing can be said about a biography. The larger picture was there, but it was always in the background.
February 22, 2024
Biography of the Irish Archbishop of New York who improved the lives of Irish peoples in America and Ireland. A noted public orator and organizer. Once a lowly laborer, one of many points of contention the press used to ridicule him. He became a source of inspiration and influence for many Irish Americans during the potato famine as well as a few centuries of English inhumanities.
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