ISBN: 978-1501707742
Dagger John:
Archbishop John Hughes and the Making of Irish America
Dagger John is the first biography in fifty years of the flamboyant and combative John Hughes (1797–1864), the Irish-born archbishop of the New York diocese who founded Fordham University and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, fought the nativist Protestants who attacked Catholic churches and Irish-Catholic immigrants in the years before the Civil War, and aided President Lincoln in the Union cause.
This award-winning biography is the first to be based on the recently opened archives of the New York archdiocese.
Critical Praise
“A comprehensive, insightful, and robust biography.”
— Sam Roberts, New York Times
“Mr. Loughery deftly narrates a life spent in defense of immigrants and as an imperfect advocate for tolerance and, yes, diversity.”
— Terry Golway, Wall Street Journal
“Archbishop John Hughes… finally receives his due in John Loughery’s fascinating, wide-ranging, richly informative, and insightful biography.”
— Daniel Walker Howe, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of What Hath God Wrought
“John Loughery’s insightful biography of the controversial archbishop… will help Americans better understand the important role he played in shaping Civil War America.”
— Tyler Anbinder, author of City of Dreams
“Loughery has written an engaging contribution to the field of Irish-American history that wears its erudition lightly…”
— Mary C. Kelly, Journal of American History
“Loughery not only handles the historical record prudently but also mines the data of the life and times of Hughes with verve…”
— Anthony Andressi, National Catholic Reporter
Awards
Lehman Prize, New York Academy of History (2021)