AbstractsCommunication

During the late 1920s and through the 1930s, Father Coughlin was broadcasted nationwide. However, by 1935, it became apparent that he harbored racist sentiments, and as his popularity grew, so did his extremist tendencies. When he was officially silenced, much of the nation regarded him and still regards him as intolerant and infamous. However, this is not the full picture of the life of Father Coughlin or where his story ended. Although Coughlin may have been brash, ignorant, and quasi-fascist in his ideology, he was much more than the harsh national figure. This being said, very few historians have examined Father Coughlin in his locality, which is where Coughlin was, at many times, a strikingly different character. By assessing news articles written about him in the local newspapers, analyzing the archived records and figures and the history of Coughlin’s parish, examining Father Coughlin’s radio broadcasts and Social Justice, evaluating funerary items, and integrating other documents from the priest’s past, this project argues that Father Coughlin was an important and valued figure in his parish and the community. After his removal from the national eye, Father Coughlin was still considered an important and reverend figure in the community as memorialized in various materials such as yearbooks and in the memories of the people of metropolitan Detroit who, in many cases, tended to share his views and experienced a side to Coughlin that met their needs and concerns. These memories, and thus this research, showcase a more personal, local side of Father Coughlin rather than an impersonal, nationalist figure while, by no means, advocating his obvious flaws. Furthermore, while not all the memories are positive, and admirers of Coughlin dwindled throughout the years, Coughlin was never forgotten in his community, and he is still remembered today. Advisors/Committee Members: Mancuso, Rebecca (Advisor).