Henry S. Spalding

Henry Stanislaus Spalding, S.J. (1865–1934) was the author of several books about medical ethics but was best known for his series of adventure books for boys. His stories incorporated elements of the Catholic faith as well as history and outdoor adventure.

Early life

Henry Stanislaus Spalding was born on January 10, 1865, in Bardstown, Kentucky. The Spalding family was staunchly Catholic, having been among the early English settlers of the colony of Maryland, and with other families had settled in the Bardstown/Rolling Fork area, which later grew into the first Catholic diocese west of the Appalachians.

Among the descendants of these original Spalding settlers were the Most Reverend Martin John Spalding, archbishop of Baltimore from 1864 to 1872, and John Lancaster Spalding, who was bishop of Peoria from 1877 to 1908. Though not as illustrious as these two, among Henry's siblings were a Dominican priest and four Dominican nuns.

Jesuit priest and educator

Spalding entered the Jesuit novitiate at Florissant, Missouri, on August 7, 1884, and spent five years teaching at Marquette College (now Marquette University) from 1888 to 1893 before completing his studies for the priesthood at St. Louis University and Woodstock College. Here he was ordained in 1899 by Cardinal James Gibbons. He later returned to Marquette, where he held the post of Prefect of Studies and Discipline from 1903 to 1908. During this time, with then-president of Marquette, Alexander Burrowes, he helped establish the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy (now the Medical College of Wisconsin), of which he subsequently was appointed regent.