Show-Me State Times

James F. Hitchcock, Ph.D., who began teaching at Saint Louis University in 1966 and continued until his retirement in 2013, has died. He was known for his work as an author and historian, having written 12 books including "The Supreme Court and Religion in American Life" and "History of the Catholic Church: From the Apostolic Age to the Third Millennium."

“Jim was not only a towering figure in the field of church history, but his many articles and syndicated columns were a fixture in Catholic magazines and newspapers for decades,” said Thomas Madden, Ph.D., professor of history and director of the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. “He was one of the few geniuses I have ever met.”

Hitchcock was born in St. Louis on February 13, 1938, to George and Stella (Martin) Hitchcock. He grew up in North St. Louis, attended Nativity Parish, graduated from St. Louis University High School in 1956, and earned his undergraduate degree from Saint Louis University in 1960 with a major in philosophy and a minor in history. He later received both his master’s (1962) and doctoral degrees (1965) in history from Princeton University.

His dissertation focused on popular religious practices during Elizabethan England.

In New York, while teaching at St. John’s University in 1966, Hitchcock met Helen Hull. They married that November at the Old Cathedral in St. Louis when he began his tenure at SLU.

Beyond academia, Hitchcock also worked as a summer reporter for the St. Louis Globe-Democrat between 1960 and 1963.

Helen (Hull) Hitchcock died in 2014. James Hitchcock is survived by daughters Alexandra Kassing (Don) of Summerville, South Carolina; Consuelo Hitchcock of Washington, D.C.; Hilary Hitchcock of St. Louis; Louisa Spampinato (Robert) of Brooklyn, New York; as well as six grandchildren.