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Charles Carroll of Carollton (1731-1832) signed the Declaration of Independence, siding Catholics with U.S. founding principles. John Adams called the Continental Congress delegate and U.S. Senator one of the greatest men of his time.
Daniel Carroll (1730-1796) signed the Articles of Confederation and U.S. Constitution. He risked much for the cause of American independence. George Washington’s friend, he fought for government by, of and for the people.
Thomas FitzSimons (1741-1811) Continental Congress delegate and Congressman, signed the U.S. Constitution. This Catholic philanthropist was an early opponent of slavery and proponent of free trade.
Joseph E Ransdell (1858-1954) U.S. Senator from Louisiana whose Ransdell Act created the National Institute of Health. The Daughters of Charity called him a “champion of public health” responsible for great medical advances.
Alfred E. “Al” Smith (1873-1944) New York Gov. and the first Catholic contender for the U.S. Presidency (1928). He opposed Prohibition and exposed rampant anti-Catholic fears. A major annual Manhattan dinner celebrates him.
Clare Boothe Luce (1903-1987) Congresswoman and Ambassador, author and anti-Communist activist. Converted by Fulton Sheen, she wrote the Academy Award nominated screenplay Come to the Stable.
William E. Miller (1914-1983) U.S. Congressman and first Catholic on a GOP national ticket (1964), and party chairman. This World War II hero was “one of the best political minds and most effective orators of his day.”
Robert Sargent Shriver (1915-2011) married JFK sister Eunice, served in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, helped start Peace Corps, Job Corps and Head Start. A pro-life Catholic, he was on the 1972 ticket.
Henry Hyde (1924-2007), Congressman, was “the most consequential Catholic legislator of his time,” writes George Weigel, loved by members of both parties. His pro-life Hyde Amendment probably saved 1 million lives.
Robert Patrick “Bob” Casey, Sr. (1932-2000) Governor of Pennsylvania whose pro-life reforms were at issue in the Supreme Court’s Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Democrats denied him a speaking slot at their 1992 convention.
In time for the Fortnight for Religious Liberty, the Gregorian Institute at Benedictine College, Kan., is inducting another class into its Hall of Fame: the Greatest American Catholic Politicians. The bipartisan group of Catholic American politicians stretches from Charles Caroll of Carollton, signer of the Declaration of Independence, to the late Gov. Bob Casey, Sr., the defendant in Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
The U.S. Catholic bishops have scheduled the Fortnight for Religious Liberty from June 22, feast of Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher until the Fourth of July. The Gregorian Institute and the Memorare Army will be praying for political vocations during that time.
George Weigel, in his commencement address at Benedictine College this year, told students that the challenge to defend religious liberty in America “is going to require that some of you accept the risk and challenge of public service in elective office.” By celebrating the honorable Catholic politicians of the past, we can help promote political vocations.
Leading American Catholics — editors, authors and Washington leaders — nominated and voted for the newest members of the Hall of Fame. Recipients should be persons of character who practiced their faith. They need not be “canonizable,” but scandalous behavior should be an anomaly in their lives and their public action should have been guided by a Catholic conscience.
Here is the list, as shown in the slideshow above.
Charles Carroll of Carollton (1731-1832) signed the Declaration of Independence, siding Catholics with U.S. founding principles. John Adams called the Continental Congress delegate and U.S. Senator one of the greatest men of his time.
Daniel Carroll (1730-1796) signed the Articles of Confederation and U.S. Constitution. He risked much for the cause of American independence. George Washington’s friend, he fought for government by, of and for the people.
Thomas FitzSimons (1741-1811) Continental Congress delegate and Congressman who signed the U.S. Constitution. This Catholic philanthropist was an early opponent of slavery and proponent of free trade.
Joseph E Ransdell (1858-1954) U.S. Senator from Louisiana whose Ransdell Act created the National Institute of Health. The Daughters of Charity called him a “champion of public health” responsible for great medical advances.
Alfred E. “Al” Smith (1873-1944) New York Gov. and the first Catholic contender for the U.S. Presidency (1928). He opposed Prohibition and exposed rampant anti-Catholic fears. A major annual Manhattan dinner celebrates him.
Clare Boothe Luce (1903-1987) Congresswoman and Ambassador, author and anti-Communist activist. Converted by Fulton Sheen, she wrote the Academy Award nominated screenplay Come to the Stable.
William E. Miller (1914-1983) U.S. Congressman and first Catholic on a GOP national ticket (1964), and party chairman. This World War II hero was “one of the best political minds and most effective orators of his day.”
Robert Sargent Shriver (1915-2011) married JFK sister Eunice, served in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, helped start Peace Corps, Job Corps and Head Start. A pro-life Catholic, he was on the 1972 ticket.
Henry Hyde (1924-2007), Congressman, was “the most consequential Catholic legislator of his time,” writes George Weigel, loved by members of both parties. His pro-life Hyde Amendment probably saved 1 million lives.
Robert Patrick “Bob” Casey, Sr. (1932-2000) Governor of Pennsylvania whose pro-life reforms were at issue in the Supreme Court’s Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Democrats denied him a speaking slot at their 1992 convention.
The Gregorian Institute at Benedictine College is training young leaders and equipping current leaders in the principles of Catholic identity in public life. We are defending Catholic identity with our Memorare Army and celebrating Catholic identity with our American Catholic Hall of Fame.
Founded in 1858, Benedictine College is a Catholic, liberal arts college located on the bluffs above the Missouri River in Atchison, Kansas. The school is proud to have been named one of America’s Best Colleges by the Cardinal Newman Society, U.S. News & World Report and First Things magazine. Benedictine College prides itself on outstanding academics, extraordinary faith life, strong athletic programs, and an exceptional sense of community and belonging.
Click here for posts on the American Catholic Hall of Fame.
Tom Hoopes, author of The Rosary of Saint John Paul II and The Fatima Family Handbook, is writer in residence at Benedictine College in Kansas and hosts The Extraordinary Story podcast about the life of Christ. A former reporter in the Washington, D.C., area, he served as press secretary of the U.S. House Ways & Means Committee Chairman and spent 10 years as executive editor of the National Catholic Register newspaper and Faith & Family magazine. His work frequently appears in Catholic publications such as Aleteia.org and the Register. He and his wife, April, have nine children and live in Atchison, Kansas.
