Thus as head of the town he enjoyed a period of duty nearly as long as the late Mayor Doyle, head of the city. Dorrance was elected sixteen times and Doyle, I believe, eighteen. The study of Ireland and the Irish people has for a long period received attention from many students of Brown. Thus at the graduation exercises in 1824 Ezra Wilkinson’s oration was entitled a “Defence of the Irish Character.” At the exercise in 1848, Samuel B. Vernon took as the subject of his oration “The Mission of St. Patrick to Ireland.” Joseph Moriarty graduated in the class of 1830, at which time he delivered an essay on the “Character of Roger Williams.” Mark D. Shea graduated in 1865. James G. Dougherty was also of that class. Pleasant memories cluster around the walls and halls of old Brown. The university is rich in reminiscence and association. In 1799 the institution conferred the degree of LL. D. upon Hon. James Sullivan, a son of the Limerick schoolmaster. James was a brother of Gen. John Sullivan, and with the latter participated in the siege of Newport and in the battle on the island of Rhode Island. He became governor of Massachusetts. James Sullivan was, no doubt, intimately acquainted with leading Rhode Island people and was in all probability a frequent visitor here. Brown honored herself in honoring him. In 1844, over fifty years ago, the degree of D. D. was conferred by Brown upon John Sharp Maginnis. His parents—John and Jane Maginnis—were from Ireland. In May, 1827, John was licensed to preach as a Baptist. He was a student of Brown, but his health being poor, his studies were interrupted. In the winter of 1837–’38, he became pastor of the Pine Street church in Providence. Delicate health obliged him to resign, however, and he later became professor of philosophy in Rochester University. Brown recognized his ability and showed her appreciation of his talents by making him a doctor of divinity, as stated. In 1860, Brown again conferred eminent honor upon a gentleman of Irish lineage. I allude to John Meredith Read, the great jurist, a descendant of one of the Irish signers of the Declaration of Independence. Brown gave him the degree of LL. D. Dr. Read was chief justice of Pennsylvania. His son, John Meredith Read, Jr., was a graduate of Brown, and received the degree of A. M. During his residence in Providence this latter gentleman became captain of the National Cadets, or Tigers, and also served on the staff of Governor Hoppin. Early in the present century, when Brown had a medical department, there were several students of the latter whose names are indicative of Irish extraction, though one or two may be of Scotch blood. Among these were John Mackie (A. B. 1800), believed to have graduated in medicine about 1813; Andrew Mackie (A. B. 1814), medicine 1817; John McGore (A. B. 1811), medicine 1816; and Joseph Mulliken (A. B. Dartmouth, 1802), medicine, Brown 1817.