BYRNE, JOHN E.

John E. Byrne was ordained a priest of the New York archdiocese in 1942. After one year at St. Bernard Church in White Plains, N.Y., he joined the faculty of Cathedral College in New York City as an English instructor. He was a colleague of Fr. (later Monsignor) Thomas Darby and like Darby was an instructor in New York area labor schools during the 1940s and 1950s.

In 1950, Fr. Byrne was transferred to Corpus Christi parish in New York City as assistant pastor. He served there until c. 1969, and then became pastor of St. Athanasius parish. In 1975, he became pastor of Annunciation parish in Crestwood, N.Y. In 1980, he became director of the Pope John Paul II Residence for retired priests in New York City. He died on December 16, 1984.

Fr. Byrne was a native of Salt Lake City, but his family lived in New York, New Jersey, and Illinois at various times in his childhood. He graduated from Iona College circa 1934.

CORT, JOHN C.

Journalist and freelance writer John C. Cort was born in Woodmere, New York, on December 3, 1913, the son of Ambrose and Lydia (Painter) Cort. After completing his secondary education at the Taft School in Connecticut, Cort entered Harvard University in 1930. He majored in history and literature. Raised an Episcopalian, Cort decided to convert to Catholicism while an undergraduate, but put off his formal reception into the Church until after his graduation because of family opposition. Cort graduated cum laude in 1935, and took a job as a reporter with the Brookline "Citizen". He remained in this position for approximately one year. He left Brookline to join Dorothy Day's Catholic Worker movement, having been profoundly influenced by a public lecture given by Day.

After a brief stay at a farm commune, Cort moved to New York City and worked on the "Catholic Worker" newspaper. He also taught at Catholic Worker labor schools, and helped to found the New York chapter of the Association of Catholic Trade Unionists. In 1937, Cort contracted tuberculosis and was forced to sharply curtail his activities. For the next twelve years, the disease would periodically disable him, although he managed to write occasionally for "Commonweal" and also worked as associate editor for the "Labor Leader" newspaper. In August 1946, Cort married Helen Haye of Baldwinsville, New York.

In 1950, Cort moved to Boston and became executive secretary of the Boston Newspaper Guild. He stayed in this job until 1962, when he joined the Peace Corps. After his 2 1/2 year stint in the Peace Corps, he worked in various social service jobs in the state of Massachusetts for approximately the next decade. In 1988, Cort published a book entitled "Christian Socialism", in which he expounds upon a doctrine of socialism based on religious rather than Marxist principles.

CRONIN, JOHN F.

John F. Cronin was born on October 8, 1908, in Glen Falls, New York. His parents were Bernard and Nora Cronin. He was educated at St. Mary's Academy, Holy Cross College, and the Catholic University of America. He earned several degrees at Catholic University: a B.A. in 1927, an M.A. in 1928, an S.T.B. in 1932, and a Ph.D. in 1935. He was ordained a priest of the Sulpician order on May 21, 1932.

Fr. Cronin taught economics at St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore from 1933 to 1946. Economics had recently been added to the seminary's curriculum for candidates for the priesthood. He was also active in labor organization in Baltimore, particularly in the steel and shipbuilding industries. In 1941, he began to teach summer courses at Catholic University and directed its Institute of Catholic Social Studies.

In 1946, Fr. Cronin joined the Social Action Department of the National Catholic Welfare Conference as assistant director. With the NCWC, Cronin worked closely with the labor movement. Now concerned with alleged Communist infiltration of labor unions, Cronin cooperated with the FBI, passing to the FBI what information he collected from his labor union contacts. In return, Cronin obtained access to FBI files and so gained information regarding the perceived Communist threat for use of the NCWC. In 1947, Fr. Cronin met Rep. Richard Nixon, a member of the House Un-American Activities Committee. Cronin passed material regarding the Alger Hiss spy case to Nixon, who may very well have launched his national political career by his performance in the committee hearings. This was the beginning of a long association with Nixon.

When Nixon was elected Vice President under Eisenhower, Fr. Cronin became a principal speechwriter for him. This was not an official appointment, rather, Cronin wrote for Nixon on his own time and continued to work for the NCWC. Cronin wrote Nixon's acceptance of the Republican nomination for reelection as Vice President in 1956, and expected to assist with Nixon's 1960 campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. However, the Nixon campaign did not request his services and he did not write for Nixon again. Cronin continued to correspond with Nixon, and was invited to various White House functions during the Nixon presidency (1969-1974).