author
Francis Augustus MacNutt
1863–1927
An American writer and diplomat who moved easily between Washington, Madrid, and Rome, he built an unusual career that eventually brought him into the inner circles of the Vatican. His life joined politics, religion, and literary work in a way that still feels strikingly cosmopolitan.
1 Audiobook
Bartholomew de Las Casas; his life, apostolate, and writings
by Francis Augustus MacNutt
About the author
Born in Richmond, Indiana, on February 15, 1863, Francis Augustus MacNutt was an American Catholic writer, diplomat, and later a Vatican court official. Reliable reference sources describe him as a prolific author as well as a former American diplomat, and note that he died in Bressanone, Italy, on December 30, 1927.
MacNutt spent part of his career in diplomacy, including service connected with Madrid, before becoming closely tied to the Roman Catholic world in Italy. He later became a high-ranking Vatican official and is remembered as the first American papal chamberlain, a rare distinction for an American of his era.
Alongside public service, he wrote plays and historical works. Accounts of his life also note that he married Margaret Ogden, a granddaughter of Clement Clarke Moore, and that their home in Rome became a lively social center, suggesting the blend of literary, religious, and international interests that shaped his career.