Person in history
Theodore Hesburgh
Theodore Hesburgh, American priest, theologian, educator, and academic (born 1917)
Life at a glance
- Died
- 2015 · February 26
- Known as
- theologian, university teacher, writer, and Catholic priest. Citizenship: United States
Their story
Who they were
Theodore Martin Hesburgh, C.S.C. was an American Catholic priest and academic who was a member of the Congregation of Holy Cross. He served as president of the University of Notre Dame for 35 years from 1952 to 1987, along with numerous appointed positions in the U.S. government, including as chairman of the United States Commission on Civil Rights.
Early life
Educated at: The Catholic University of America and Pontifical Gregorian University.
Path and career
Worked with / for: University of Notre Dame.
Awards / honours: Great Golden Medal of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria, Presidential Medal of Freedom, Four Freedoms Award – Freedom of Worship, and Congressional Gold Medal.
Why this date
Theodore Hesburgh appears on our February 26 calendar for 2015 as a death entry.
Sources
Cite this page
“Theodore Hesburgh”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/people/theodore-hesburgh, accessed October 29, 2026.
Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.
Questions about Theodore Hesburgh
When did Theodore Hesburgh die?
February 26 2015.
Who else was born on this day?
The date page lists everyone we hold for that calendar day.
Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.