The Ancient Order of Hibernians

The Oldest and Largest Irish-Catholic Organization in the United States. Established 1836

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List of Past Presidents, Chaplains, Editors, Kennedy Medals, and MacBride Awards

National Presidents of the AOH
National Chaplains of the AOH
Sean MacBride Humanitarian Award Recipients
AOH John F. Kennedy Memorial Medal Recipients
Editors of the Hibernian Digest

 

 

National Presidents of the AOH

Years Name Home Convention Site
1854 – 1856 James Saunders, ND New York New York, NY
1856 – 1858 Peter R. Gaynor, ND New York New York, NY
1858 – 1864 James Sanford, ND New York New York, NY
1864 – 1866 Thomas Kearns, ND New York New York, NY
1866 – 1869 John Maguire, ND New York New York, NY
1869 – 1877 Patrick Campbell, ND New York New York, NY
1877 – 1880 John Hart, ND New Jersey New York, NY
1878 – 1879 John Hart, ND New Jersey Boston, MA
1879 – 1880 John Hart, ND New Jersey Cincinnati, OH
1880 – 1881 Peter Kiernan, ND Louisiana Philadelphia, PA
1881 – 1882 Peter Kiernan, ND Louisiana St. Louis, MO
1882 – 1884 *1 Jeremiah Crowley, ND Massachusetts Chicago, IL
1884 – 1886 Henry F. Sheridan, ND Illinois Cleveland, OH
1886 – 1888 Maurice Wilhere, ND Pennsylvania St. Paul, MN
1888 – 1890 Maurice Wilhere, ND Pennsylvania Louisville, KY
1890 – 1892 Maurice Wilhere, ND Pennsylvania Hartford, CT
1892 – 1894 Maurice Wilhere, ND Pennsylvania New Orleans, LA
1894 – 1896 *2 P.J. O’Conor Georgia Omaha, NE
1896 – 1898 P.J. O’Conor Georgia Detroit, MI
1898 – 1900 John T. Keating Illinois Trenton, NJ
1900 – 1902 John T. Keating Illinois Boston, MA
1902 – 1904 James E. Dolan New York Denver, CO
1904 – 1906 James E. Dolan New York St. Louis, MO
1906 – 1908 Matthew Cummings Massachusetts Saratoga, NY
1908 – 1910 Matthew Cummings Massachusetts Indianapolis, IN
1910 – 1912 James J. Regan Minnesota Portland, OR
1912 – 1914 James J. Regan Minnesota Chicago, IL
1914 – 1916 Joseph McLaughlin Pennsylvania Norfolk, VA
1916 – 1918 Joseph McLaughlin Pennsylvania Boston, MA
1918 – 1919 No Convention Held – World War I    
1919 – 1921 James E. Deery Indiana San Francisco, CA
1921 – 1923 James E. Deery Indiana Detroit, MI
1923 – 1925 Michael Donohoe Pennsylvania Montreal, Quebec
1925 – 1927 Michael Donohoe Pennsylvania Atlantic City, NJ
1927 – 1929 Martin L. Sweeney Ohio Buffalo, NY
1929 – 1931 Martin L. Sweeney Ohio Minneapolis, MN
1931 – 1933 Michael W. Delaney Illinois Newport, RI
1933 – 1935 Michael W. Delaney Illinois Chicago, IL
1935 – 1937 John E. Fenton Massachusetts Baltimore, MD
1937 – 1939 John E. Fenton Massachusetts Atlantic City, NJ
1939 – 1941 Joseph E. Kerrigan Massachusetts Piittsburgh, PA
1941 – 1946 Joseph E. Kerrigan Massachusetts St Paul, MN
1943 – 1945 No Convention Held – World War II    
1946 – 1948 Michael A. McGrath Ohio Syracuse, NY
1948 – 1950 Michael A. McGrath Ohio Montreal, Quebec
1950 – 1952 George R. Reilly California Boston, MA
1952 – 1954 George R. Reilly California Atlantic City, NJ
1954 – 1956 Michael J. Dowd Washington DC Chicago, IL
1956 – 1958 P. Frank Kean Massachusetts New York, NY
1958 – 1960 Jeremiah O’Callaghan New Jersey Providence, RI
1960 – 1962 Patrick J. Hogan Connecticut St. Louis, MO
1962 – 1964 James J. Comerford New York Pittsburgh, PA
1964 – 1966 William J. McEnery Rhode Island Albany, NY
1966 – 1968 Walter J. O’Leary Massachusetts Chicago, IL
1968 – 1970 Michael J. Delahunty New Jersey Philadelphia, PA
1970 – 1972 Edward J. Fay Pennsylvania Indianapolis, IN
1972 – 1974 Edward J. Fay Pennsylvania Dublin, Ireland
1974 – 1976 John M. Keane Missouri Anaheim, CA
1976 – 1978 John M. Keane Missouri Newport, RI
1978 – 1980 Thomas D. McNabb New York Killarney, Ireland
1980 – 1982 John P. Connolly Massachusetts Bal Harbour, FL
1982 – 1984 Joseph A. Roche Pennsylvania San Antonio TX
1984 – 1986 Joseph A. Roche Pennsylvania Albany, NY
1986 – 1988 Nicholasa J. Murphy New York Buffalo, NY
1988 – 1990 Michael J. Coogan Ohio Cleveland, OH
1990 – 1992 George J. Clough Jr. Missouri Alexandria, VA
1992 – 1994 George J. Clough Jr. Missouri New Orleans, LA
1994 – 1996 Edward J. Wallace New York Louisville, KY
1996 – 1998 Edward J. Wallace New York St. Paul, MN
1998 – 2000 Thomas E. Gilligan Florida Pittsburgh, PA
2000 – 2002 Thomas E. Gilligan Florida Baltimore, MD
2002 – 2004 Edward P. McGinley Pennsylvania Foxwood, CT
2004 – 2006 Edward P. McGinley Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA
2006 – 2008 Jack Meehan Massachusetts Boston, MA
2008 – 2010 Seamus Boyle Pennsylvania New Orleans, LA
2010 – 2012 Seamus Boyle Pennsylvania Cincinnati, OH
2012 – 2014 Brendan Moore New York Turning Stone, NY
2014 – 2016 Brendan Moore New York St. Louis, MO
2016 – 2018 Jim McKay New Orleans Atlantic City, NJ
2018 – 2020 Jim McKay New Orleans Louisville, KY

(*1)The 1882 National Convention established the format of biennial national conventions. Previously, conventions were held annually.

 

(*2) ND denotes National Delegate. Prior to 1894 the elected head of the AOH in America was called National Delegate and represented the American AOH in Ireland at a National Convention of all the AOH jurisdictions in the world. In 1894, the AOH in America severed its administrative ties with the AOH in Ireland and our national leader assumed the title of National President of the AOH in America.

This list was created by Gerry Curran and updated by Mike McCormack

 

 

National Chaplains of the AOH

Years Name Residence
1890 – 1898 Bishop John Samuel Foley Detroit, Michigan
1898 – 1902 Archbishop Patrick A. Feehan Chicago, Illinois
1902 – 1904 Bishop John Joseph Glennon Kansas City, Missouri
1904 – 1906 Archbishop John M. Farley New York, New York
1906 – 1908 Reverend ohn D. Kennedy Danbury, Connecticut
1908 – 1910 Archbishop William H, O’Connell Boston, Massachusetts
1910 – 1914 Bishop John Patrick Carroll Helena, Montana
1914 – 1921 Bishop Dennis J, O’Connell Richmond, Virginia
1921 – 1925 Bishop Michael J. Gallagher Detroit, Michigan
1925 – 1935 Archbishop John Joseph Glennon St. Louis, Missouri
1935 – 1937 Bishop Ja,es A. Grffin Springfield, Illinois
1937 – 1941 Monsignor Fulton J. Sheen Washington, D.C.
1941 – 1948 Reverend Francis P. Fenton O.S.A. Chicago, Illinois
1948 – 1952 Archbishop Richard J. Cushing Boston, Massachusetts
1952 – 1956 Archbishop James J. McNulty Newark, New Jersey
1956 – 1958 Archbishop Patrick A. O’Boyle Washington, D.C.
1958 – 1960 Archbishop Thomas A. Boland Newark, New Jersey
1960 – 1962 Bishop Lawrence J. Shehan Bridgeport, Connecticut
1962 – 1964 Francis Cardinal Spellman New York, New York
1964 – 1966 Bishop Russell J. McVinny Providence, Rhode Island
1966 – 1968 Bishop Jeremiah F. Minehan W. Roxbury, Massachusetts
1968 – 1970 Archbishop Thomas A. Boland Newark, New Jersey
1970 – 1974 Bishop Vincent M. Leonard Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
1974 – 1978 Reverend Terence Lee M.H.M. Sunset Hills, Missouri
1978 – 1982 Bishop Thomas J. Drury Corpus Christi, Texas
1982 – 1988 Reverend John V. Ahern Syracuse, New York
1988 – 1989 Bishop Thomas J. Drury Corpus Christi, Texas
1989 – 1990 Reverend Donal O’Carroll Steubenville, Ohio
1990 – 1994 Bishop Edward J. O’Donnell St. Louis, Missouri
1994 – 1998 Reverend John V. Ahern Syracuse, New York
1998 – 2002 Bishop Norbert M. Dorsey Orlando, Florida
2002 – 2006 Reverend Patrick Sullivan Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania
2006 – 2008 Reverend Bartley McPhaidin Boston, Massachusetts
2008 – 2010 Reverend Patrick Sullivan Boston, Massachusetts
2010 – 2012 Reverend Thomas O’Donnell Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2012 – 2014 Reverend John V. Ahern Syracuse, New York
2014 – 2016 Reverend Thomas O’Donnell Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2016 – 2018 Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi Alabama

 

 

Sean MacBride Humanitarian Award Recipients

Year Name
1989 Author/Activist Oliver Kearney
1991 PNP Joseph A. Roche
1993 Congressman Bruce Morrison
1995 Former Taoiseach Albert Reynolds
1997 NY State Legislator John Dearie
1999 Congressman Tom Manton
2001 Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey
2003 Great Hunger advocate Don Mullen
2005 Sgt. Patrick Duggan
2007 Hibernian Charity coordinator David Burke
2009 Irish Echo editor Raymond O’Hanlon
2011 Humanitarian/Activist Clara Reilly
2013 Mick Dunleavy
2015 Brian O’Dwyer
2017 Niall Burgess

 

 

AOH John F. Kennedy Memorial Medal Recipients

Year Name
1966 Hon. James A. Farley: U.S. Postmaster General (1933-1940), Chairman of the Democratic National Committee (1932-1940), member of AOH Div 29 New York Co.; New York, NY.
1967 Hon. John E. Fenton: AOH Past National President (1935-39), President of Suffolk University, Knight of the Holy Sepulcher; Lawrence, MA.
1968 Joseph M. Brennan: AOH Past National Treasurer and New Jersey State Secretary (1916-1932), 76-year member of AOH Div 3; Orange, NJ.
1969 Colonel James A. McDevitt, U.S.A.F.; NASA Astronaut; Commander of Gemini IV and Apollo IX. Houston, TX.
1970 Most Reverend Thomas A. Boland, S.T.D., LL.D. Archbishop of Newark, AOH Past National Chaplain (1958-60).
1971 Hon. Richard J. Daley: Mayor of Chicago, member of AOH Division 59 Cook Co.; Chicago, IL.
1972 Hon. John D. J. Moore: U.S. Ambassador to Ireland; & Hon. James J. Comerford: AOH Past National President (1962-64), IRA Volunteer, Kilkenny Battalion (1919-22), Grand Marshal of the New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade (1957), Knight of the Holy Sepulcher; New York, NY.
1973 Hon. John J. Gilligan: Governor of Ohio, alumnus of the University of Notre Dame; Columbus, OH.
1974 Hugh J. Devore: University of Notre Dame Head Football Coach (1945 & 1963) & former coach of the Philadelphia Eagles & the Green Bay Packers, alumnus of the University of Notre Dame; Houston, TX.
1975 Most Reverend Thomas J. Drury: Bishop of Corpus Christi; Corpus Christi, TX.
1976 Eoin McKiernan, Ph.D: Executive Director, Irish American Cultural Institute & Professor, College of St. Thomas; St. Paul, MN.
1977 Patrick J. Hogan: AOH Past National President (1960-62), IRA Volunteer (1920-1923); Stamford, CT.
1978 Pat O’Brien: Actor; Los Angeles, CA.
1979 Lillian E. Fay: LAOH Past National President (1952-1956); Washington, DC.
1980 Hon. Denis Dillon: Nassau County D.A., member AOH Division 14 Nassau Co.; Rockville Centre, NY.
1982 Thomas W. “Teddy” Gleason: International President – International Longshoreman’s Association (ILA), Vice President, AFL-CIO; New York, NY.
1984 Brother Mathias Barrett: Founder, Little Brothers of the Good Shepard; Albuquerque, NM.
1986 Martin Higgins: AOH National Chairman, Freedom for All Ireland Committee; Woodmere, NY.
1988 Dennis Patrick Long: Former President, Anheuser-Busch, Inc; Sunset Hills, MO.
1990 John P. Connolly: AOH Past National President (1980-1982); Watertown, MA.
1992 Reverend Desmond Wilson: Director, Springhill Community House and author; Belfast, Ireland.
1994 His Eminence John Cardinal O’Connor: Archbishop of New York; New York, NY.
1996 John Hume: Member of the European Parliament and Leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party; Derry, Ireland & Gerry Adams: President, Sinn Fein; Belfast, Ireland.
1998 Hon. Peter L. King: Member of the U.S. House of Representatives (3rd District-New York); Massapequa Park, NY.
2000 Hon. Raymond L. Flynn: Former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See and former Mayor of Boston, member of AOH Division 14 Middlesex Co; Boston, MA.
2002 Christopher Matthews: Political commentator and television personality; Washington, DC.
2004 Reverend Aidan Troy, C.P.: Rector of Holy Cross Parish and Chairman of the Board of Governors of Holy Cross Girls’ Primary School; Belfast, Ireland.
2006 Congressman Richard Neal, Democratic Leader of the Friends of Ireland and one of Irish America Magazine’s Top 100 Irish Americans.
2008 Robert Gessler: past president of AOH Div 87 Port Richmond; originator of the Hibernian Hunger Project and founder and Chairman of the Hibernian Community Development Corporation – an organization that rehabilitates houses for Hibernian families and provides educational opportunities to disadvantaged Philadelphians.
2010 Siobhan Dennehy, Executive Director of the Emerald Isle Immigration Center for her work with Irish immigrants.
2012 Rev. Patrick J. Sullivan, C.S.C., PhD, Executive Secretary and Chaplain of the Labor Guild of the Archdiocese of Boston; professor, King’s College (PA); AOH Past National Chaplain; and author
2014 Mairtin O Muilleoir; 58′ Lord Mayer of Belfast (2013-2014) abd Belfast City Councilor for Balmoral; author and businessman
2016 Major General Patrick Henry Brady, USA retired; recipient of the Medal of Honor (1969); author of Dead Men Flying; Notre Dame Alumnus from Converse, TX.
2018 Denis P. Mulcahy, founder of Project Children; member of NYPD Bomb Squad; resident of Greenwood Lake

Note: The John F. Kennedy Memorial Medal and Fund Committee was established following the 1964 Albany, New York National Convention to honor the memory of our nation’s 35th President, who was a member of AOH Division 14, Watertown, MA from 1947 until his assassination on November 22, 1963. According to the Report of the Committee on the Kennedy Memorial: “The award would consist of a gold medallion designed for this purpose, to be awarded to a Catholic of Irish birth or descent, outstanding in his or her field of endeavor…” The medal was designed by P. Frank Kean of Massachusetts, AOH Past National President (1956-58) and first struck in 1966. In 1980 it was changed from an annual award to a biennial award.

 

 

Editors of the Hibernian Digest

    • On February 20, 1901, the official publication of the Ancient Order of Hibernians in America was launched in Washington D.C. under the stewardship of Patrick Joseph Haltigan – the first National Editor. It was an oversized monthly and called The National Hibernian. It would bear that name until 1947 when the name was amended to The National Hibernian Digest and the size was reduced to the present size.

 

    Over the years, many Hibernians have been appointed to the position of National Editor. The efforts that they put into making the Hibernian newspaper one of the most outstanding fraternal organizational tabloids in the nation stands as testimony to their ideas and ideals. The original concept of a national publication marked the coming of age of the Order from a collection of rural societies to a national entity, especially when news from Ireland was difficult to get due to geography, communication and a biased media. The men who guided the National Hibernian Digest through the years were:
YEAR NATIONAL EDITOR
1901 – 1919 Patrick J. Haltigan (Washington D.C.)
1919 – 1924 James E. Deery (Indianapolis, IN)
1924 – 1931 John O’Dea (Philadelphia, PA)
1931 – 1940 Thomas H. Buckley (Abington, MA)
1940 – 1950 Francis O’Brien (Lawrence, MA)
1950 – 1954 Jeremiah Mulvihill (an Francisco, CA)
1954 – 1958 George Reilly (San Francisco, CA)
1958 – 1962 James J. Comerford (New York, NY)
1962 – 1964 William McEnery (Providence, RI)
1964 – 1968 John Duffy (New York, NY)
1968 – 1969 Thomas P.J. Barrett (Newark, NJ)
1969 – 1970 John Leahy (Trenton, NJ)
1970 – 1972 James J. Comorford (New York, NY)
1972 – 1974 John Reynolds (Lake grove, NY)
1974 – 1976 Dave Burke (Lawrence, MA)
1976 – 1978 Liam Murphy (Irvington, NY)
1978 – 1982 George Foley (Troy, NY)
1982 – 1984 Thomas D. McNabb (Auburn, NY)
1984 – 1990 David Henshaw (Lynbrook, NY)
1990 – 1998 James Brennan (Spring Hill, FL)
1998 – 2006 Francis Feighery (The Bronx, NY)
2006 – 2008 Mike McCormack (Centereach, NY)
2008 – 2011 Keith Carney (Washington, D.C.)
2011 – John O’Connell (Glen Cove, NY)