Marquette was founded in the rich tradition of the Society of Jesus, a Catholic religious order established in 1540 by St. Ignatius of Loyola. The university is named after Rev. Jacques Marquette, S.J. (1637-75), a French missionary and explorer in North America.
Marquette began as a dream of the Most Rev. John Martin Henni, the first Catholic bishop of Milwaukee, but it took a trip overseas to find an investor to make it a reality. Belgian businessman Guillaume Joseph DeBoey promised $16,000 for the proposed "academy of learning." It was hardly enough to fund the establishment of a college but just enough to keep Bishop Henni's dream alive for the next eight years until he could purchase a parcel of land on a hill topping today's North 10th and West State streets.
Nearly three decades passed before the doors of Marquette College, a small liberal arts school for men, opened on Aug. 28, 1881. Bishop Henni died just two days later, one might guess satisfied that his work was finished.
Throughout the years, thousands of students have passed through Marquette's halls and classrooms, aspiring to achieve academic success and a spiritual foundation to last a lifetime.
Rev. Jacques Marquette, S.J., was a French Jesuit explorer and missionary whose 17th-century travels throughout the Great Lakes area are an integral part of the history of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the Upper Midwest. It was this pioneering spirit that served as inspiration when Marquette College opened in 1881. Today, a large statue of Father Marquette stands on Central Mall across from St. Joan of Arc Chapel on campus.
A great resource to learn more about Father Marquette is PBS American Experience: Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet.
If you are interested in learning more about Marquette’s history, consider these excellent resources:
