John W. McDevitt

John W. McDevitt KCSG GCPO (December 28, 1906 – December 6, 1994) was the eleventh Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus from 1964 to 1977.[1][2]

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John McDevitt

KCSG GCPO
11th Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus
ChurchCatholic Church
InstalledFebruary 22, 1964 (1964-02-22)
Term endedJanuary 21, 1977 (1977-01-21)
PredecessorLuke E. Hart
SuccessorVirgil C. Dechant
Other posts16th Deputy Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus (1960–1964)
Personal details
Birth nameJohn W. McDevitt
Born(1906-12-28)December 28, 1906
Malden, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedDecember 6, 1994(1994-12-06) (aged 87)
New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
DenominationRoman Catholic
SpouseMary Cecilia McDevitt (née Kelley)
Children
  • John Kelley McDevitt
  • William Paul McDevitt
Alma materBoston College

Early life and education

Born in Malden, Massachusetts on December 28, 1906, McDevitt was the son of John F. McDevitt and Margaret Agnes (née Sullivan).[3][4] He attended Imaculate Conception School and then Boston College High School.[4] He earned both a bachelor's and a master's degree from Boston College in 1928 and 1929, respectively.[4]

Career

Educator

McDevitt taught history at Lincoln Junior High School in Malden, and then was then made principal on December 17, 1935.[4] Shortly thereafter, elections were held and a new School Committee was elected. The new Committee rescinded his appointment on January 26, 1936. McDevitt sued, and the case was dismissed by the Supreme Judicial Court in 1937.[4]

On August 22, 1942 he was made superintendent of Waltham Public Schools. He served in this position until December 7, 1961 when he resigned to focus on his work as Deputy Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus.[4] The School Street Middle School was named after him in Waltham. He was nominated to the state Board of Education in 1951 and served for nine years.[5] He served on that board with fellow State Deputy Frank W. Tomasello.[6]

Knights of Columbus

In 1932, McDevitt joined the Santa Maria Council of the Knights of Columbus in Malden.[4] He held several positions, including serving as grand knight twice.[4] He then rose through the chairs of the state council and was made State Deputy of Massachusetts on May 11, 1948.[4]

McDevitt was largely responsible for getting a law passed by the Great and General Court of Massachusetts allowing fraternal societies such as the Knights of Columbus to sell insurance in the Commonwealth.[5] It was signed by Governor Paul A. Dever, a past grand knight from the Mt. Pleasant Council in West Roxbury.[5] McDevitt also played a role in the defeat of the legalization of birth control in the 1948 referendum.[5]

He was made Master of the Fourth Degree in Massachusetts in 1952 and a Supreme Director in 1955.[7] On October 21, 1960, he was elected Deputy Supreme Knight and on February 22, 1964, he became the 11th Supreme Knight.[7] As Supreme Knight, he ended discrimination against blacks in 1964 and asked the Supreme Council to consider admitting women in 1969.[7]

By 1970, some states had legalized abortion. McDevitt responded to this trend at the 1970 convention, defining the Knights as a pro-life organization. He said, "We, the knights of today, likewise must serve in the role of protectors...we must be the knights who hold up the banner of life. We must be for life." In 1973, after the Roe v. Wade ruling, the Supreme Convention passed a resolution supporting a pro-life constitutional amendment. McDevitt denounced Roe v. Wade as "shocking and unfortunate", and urged councils to take local action to "offset the harmful effects of this lamentable decision." In 1975, the Knights donated $50,000 to the US bishops in support of pro-life efforts.[8]

Honors

In 1971, McDevitt was honored by Pope Paul VI with the Order of Pius IX, the highest papal honor which can be conferred on a Catholic layman who is not a head of state.[3][7] Pope Paul also placed McDevitt on the advisory board for Vatican City and gave him several other honors.[7] He also won the 1966 Brotherhood Award from B'Nai B'rith.[3][9]

McDevitt held honorary degrees from Saint Michael's College, The Catholic University of America, and Boston College.[7]

Personal life

With his wife Mary Cecilia Kelley McDevitt, he had two sons, John Kelley McDevitt and William Paul McDevitt.[10][7] John Kelley became assistant Supreme Advocate in 1975.

In 1998, after his death, the delegates at the Supreme Council meeting established a scholarship fund in his name.

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References
  1. Jordan, Robert (March 1, 1964). "New Chief of Knights Led Waltham Schools". The Boston Globe. p. 54. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  2. Lapomarda, S.J., Vincent A. (1992). The Knights of Columbus in Massachusetts (second ed.). Norwood, Massachusetts: Knights of Columbus Massachusetts State Council.
  3. "Polish Prelate Visit to Hub Up in Air". The Boston Globe. February 25, 1966. p. 30.
  4. Lapomarda 1992, p. 69.
  5. Lapomarda 1992, p. 70.
  6. Lapomarda 1992, p. 83.
  7. Lapomarda 1992, p. 71.
  8. Walther, Andrew T.; Walther, Maureen H. (2020). The Knights of Columbus: An Illustrated History (first ed.). Garden City Park, New York: Square One Publishers. ISBN 9780757003080.
  9. Courant, Hartford. "JOHN W. MCDEVITT; RETIRED HEAD OF KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS". courant.com. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  10. "Attorney John McDevitt Obituary". Beecher & Bennett Funeral Service, Inc. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
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