Giovanni Antonio Grassi (1775-1849) was a Jesuit president form 1812 to 1817 of Georgetown University.[1]
Born in Schilpario, at the time part of Republic of Venice on 10th September 1775, he studied in the seminary of Bergamo and in 1799 he joined as novice the Jesuits. In the following years Grassi studied trigonometry at University of Coimbra and in 1810 he reached the United States where he met John Carroll. From 1811 to 1817 he led Georgetown University and he decided to open this catholic istitution to non catholic students he also opened the new library with more than 5000 differents books. In 1817 during his trip to Europe he felt ill and he was unable to be back in the US. He in later years he become rector of the college of Propaganda Fide. Grassi died in Rome in 1849.
| Preceded by Francis Neale |
President of Georgetown University 1811-1817 |
Succeeded by Benedict Joseph Fenwick |