Born in London to an Evangelical family, his father was the owner of Claridges Hotel, he was educated at Harrow and King's College, London, then going to Oscott and being received into the Catholic Church. Although called to the Bar in 1851, he devoted his life to natural science attempting to get the Church to accept Darwin's theories of evolution, leading to an excommunication
Newman, John Henry, Cardinal, 1801-1890
John Henry Newman stands as a giant in the fields of theology, philosophy, and education. Influencing many academic and spiritual disciplines, Newman's writings and his lifelong search for religious truth continue to inspire scholars throughout the world. Newman started his public life as a fellow of Oriel College and, soon after, as Vicar of St. Mary the Virgin Church in Oxford, England. He was a leader of the Oxford Movement which began in 1833. A prominent member of the Church of England for the first half of his life, he converted to Roman Catholicism in 1845. Two years later, Newman founded the first English-speaking Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Birmingham, England. In 1851, Newman undertook the founding of the Catholic University of Ireland in Dublin. He was made a cardinal of the Catholic Church in 1879. His many scholarly works have remained a significant force.