Thomas Ewing Sherman

Thomas Ewing Sherman. He was the fourth child and second son of famed Union Army General William Tecumseh Sherman and Eleanor Boyle Ewing Sherman, a prominent figure in Washington, D.C. society. His life was defined by a profound religious conversion that led him to join the Society of Jesus, a path that created a notable public and private divergence from his father's legacy. Despite his family's Presbyterian background and his father's initial opposition, he became a well-known Catholic priest and public speaker, navigating a unique identity within the context of post-Civil War America.

Early life and family

Born in San Francisco while his father was a banker, his early years were marked by the tumult of his father's military career during the American Civil War. He was named for his maternal grandfather, Thomas Ewing, a powerful Senator from Ohio who had served as Secretary of the Interior and as a Secretary of the Treasury. The Sherman family was deeply connected to the nation's political and military elite, with his uncle, John Sherman, being a longtime Senator and author of the Sherman Antitrust Act. His mother, Eleanor Boyle Ewing Sherman, was a devout Catholic, though his father, William Tecumseh Sherman, was not, creating an early religious tension within the household. The family resided in St. Louis, Missouri, and later in Washington, D.C., where they moved following General Sherman's appointment as Commanding General of the United States Army.

Education and early career

He received a privileged education, beginning at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., which was run by the Society of Jesus. He later transferred to Yale University, where he graduated in 1876 as a member of Skull and Bones. After Yale, he studied law at Washington University in St. Louis and was admitted to the Missouri bar association. He practiced law for a brief period in St. Louis, showing considerable promise in the legal profession. During this time, he was also active in the Missouri Militia, attaining the rank of captain, and moved in the high social circles expected of a Sherman family scion. His early path seemed set for a conventional career in law or public service, following in the footsteps of his influential relatives.

Religious conversion and Jesuit priesthood

A profound spiritual transformation led him to abandon his legal career. In 1878, he was received into the Catholic Church at the St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, a decision that shocked his family and society. Despite strong objections from his father, William Tecumseh Sherman, who viewed the move as a rejection of family tradition, he entered the Jesuit novitiate at St. Stanislaus Seminary in Florissant, Missouri, in 1879. He was ordained a priest in 1889 and became a popular, eloquent preacher and retreat master. He taught at Detroit College (later the University of Detroit Mercy) and Saint Louis University, and was known for his missions and lectures across the United States, often drawing large crowds curious to see the son of the famous general.

Civil War service and later life

Despite his clerical vocation, he served as a chaplain during the Spanish–American War, attached to the U.S. Army forces that invaded Puerto Rico in 1898. He later served as a chaplain for the Third Cavalry at Fort Sam Houston in Texas. His later years were marked by declining health and a withdrawal from public life. He suffered a nervous breakdown in 1907, after which he lived in a more secluded manner, residing for a time at the Jesuit community in Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. He spent his final years at the Jesuit residence in New Orleans, where he died in 1933. He was interred in the Jesuit cemetery at St. Charles College in Grand Coteau, Louisiana.

Legacy and historical assessment

His life represents a fascinating divergence from the expected path of a Sherman family heir, choosing spiritual over temporal power. He is often remembered as a figure who bridged the worlds of the American military elite and the American Catholic Church during a period of significant growth for the latter. While never achieving the monumental historical status of his father, William Tecumseh Sherman, his story is a unique chapter in the narratives of both the Sherman family and the Society of Jesus in America. His papers are held by archives at Georgetown University and the University of Notre Dame, providing insight into his spiritual journey and his complex relationship with his iconic family.

Category:American Jesuits Category:American Roman Catholic priests Category:Yale University alumni Category:People from San Francisco