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Dr. Jude Patrick Dougherty, 90, passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 6, 2021 at his home in Potomac, Maryland. He was the Dean of the School of Philosophy at The Catholic University of America for over 30 years, and Editor-in-Chief for 44 years of The Review of Metaphysics.

Jude Dougherty was born to the late Edward Timothy and Cecelia Anastasia (née Loew) Dougherty on July 21, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois. He is preceded in death by the December 2020 passing of his wife Patricia Ann (née Regan) and the 2011 passing of his sister Inez Juanita Bowling.

In 1954, Jude earned his Bachelor’s degree from Catholic University, followed by a Master of Arts in 1955. He was subsequently an instructor at Marquette University, as well as Bellarmine College. In 1960, Jude received his Doctor of Philosophy from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. 

Dr. Dougherty was an Assistant and Associate Professor at Bellarmine College from 1960-66. From 1966-76, Dr. Dougherty was an Associate Professor, and a Professor from 1976 onwards at Catholic University. He was a Visiting Professor from 1974-75 at Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven in Belgium. 

In 1967, Dr. Dougherty was named the first lay Dean of the School of Philosophy at Catholic University, a position he held for over 30 years. 

In December of 1971, Jude became Editor-In-Chief of The Review of Metaphysics, a position he held for 44 years. Over 900 articles were published during his tenure, one of the longest-running editorships of a prestigious journal in history.

Dr. Dougherty’s acquaintance and subsequent friendship with Polish prelate Cardinal Karol Wojtyła, a fellow philosopher, led to an invitation for the Cardinal to lecture at Catholic University in July of 1976. Cardinal Wojtyła would become Pope John Paul II (and later Saint) in 1978, and visited Catholic University again in 1979.

Dr. Dougherty’s published works include The Logic of Religion; The Good Life and its Pursuit; The Nature of Scientific Explanation; Wretched Aristotle: Using the Past to Rescue the Future; Western Creed, Western Identity: Essays in Legal and Social Philosophy; Jacques Maritain: An Intellectual Profile; Briefly Considered; Interpretations; Approaches to Morality; The Impact of Vatican II; The Theological Directions of the Ecumenical Movement; Recent American Naturalism: An Exposition and Critique; and Religion - Gesellschaft - Demokratie: Ausgewählte Aufsätze. In addition, Dr. Dougherty wrote numerous essays on various contemporary and philosophical topics over the years. 

Dr. Dougherty held numerous leadership positions in multiple organizations. He was President of the American Catholic Philosophical Association (1974-75), President of the Society for Philosophy of Religion (1978-79) and President of the Metaphysical Society of America (1983-84). Dougherty was an emeritus member of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas since 1980. He was also a member of the American Philosophical Association (Program Chairman Eastern Division 1988, Executive Committee Eastern Division 1989-93), the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars (Executive Secretary 1994-97, Treasurer 1994-97), and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts since 1991. He was also the Founder and President-elect of the Kentucky Philosophy Association (1966), and President of the Washington Philosophy Club (1968-69). Dr. Dougherty was a trustee at Bellarmine College from 1972-75, and the University of Bridgeport from 1995-99. He was also a member of the board of advisors for the Franklin J. Matchette Foundation since 1971. 

Dr. Dougherty received many honors over the course of his career. In 1999, he was decorated Knight of the Order of St. Gregory the Great by Saint John Paul II. In the same year, he received Catholic University’s President’s Medal. In 1994, he received the Cardinal Wright Award from the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars as well as the Aquinas Medal from the American Catholic Philosophical Association. In 1998, he received a Special Recognition Award from the Graduate Student Association and the Undergraduate Student Government from Catholic University. He received the Jacques Maritain Scholarly Excellence Award in 2000, and the Fides et Ratio Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005 from the American Maritain Association. He was also awarded the Cardinal Gibbons Medal from Catholic University’s Alumni Association. Additionally, he received a Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa, from The Catholic University of Lublin in 2000, and a Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa, from Thomas More College in 1995. 

While a student at Catholic University, Jude met Patricia Ann Regan, who was studying for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. On December 28, 1957, Jude and Patricia were married at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Hoopeston, Illinois, and were married 62 years before Patricia’s passing.

Jude is survived by his sons, Thomas H. and his wife Lynne, Michael T. and his wife Angela, John C. and his wife Michelle, and Paul R. and his wife Elizabeth. He is also survived by his ten grandchildren, Catherine, Grace, William, Madeline, Patrick, Emma, Jacob, Jack, Alexander and Michael.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, March 15 at The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 400 Michigan Ave NE, Washington, D.C. 20017.

In remembrance of Jude’s life, the family asks that any charitable donations be made in his name to St. Joseph Children’s Home in Louisville, Kentucky (http://sjkids.org/)



Dr. Jude Patrick Dougherty

Dr. Jude Patrick Dougherty

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