Famous people's places / Detroit – Bagley
University of Detroit Jesuit High School
Detroit's oldest continuously operating high school, a Jesuit school founded in 1877, whose graduates include novelist Elmore Leonard and actor Michael Moriarty.
01 / The story of this place
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The University of Detroit Jesuit High School grew out of the same 1877 Jesuit foundation as the University of Detroit, sharing roots and a downtown Jefferson Avenue campus with the university in its earliest years before the high school moved to its own campus on Detroit's northwest side. In 1922 the Jesuits, under Father John McNichols, acquired land on Seven Mile Road and began building the school's current campus on South Cambridge Avenue, separating the high school from the university it had grown up alongside. Novelist Elmore Leonard graduated from the school in 1943, and actor Michael Moriarty graduated in 1959, both going on to prominent careers. Now known as University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy, it holds the distinction of being Detroit's oldest continuously operating high school. The all-boys Catholic school remains an active college-preparatory institution on its South Cambridge Avenue campus today.
- Founded by Jesuits in 1877, Detroit's oldest continuously operating high school
- Moved to its South Cambridge Avenue campus starting in 1922
- Novelist Elmore Leonard graduated in 1943
- Actor Michael Moriarty graduated in 1959
- Still an all-boys Catholic college-preparatory school
Famous Detroiters
Famous people tied to this place 10
Lexicon entries for the people who lived, worked, performed or liked to spend time here.
- Elmore Leonard 1925–2013 · novelist, screenwriter
Studied here
Leonard graduated from this Jesuit high school on Detroit's northwest side in 1943.
- Keith Ellison born 1963 · politician, lawyer
Studied here
The Jesuit prep school where he played sports and sat in student government, graduating in 1981.
- Michael Moriarty born 1941 · actor, jazz pianist, composer
Studied here
Jesuit boys' high school where he graduated in 1959.
- Sam Richardson born 1984 · actor, comedian, writer, producer
Studied here
Jesuit boys' school on Detroit's northwest side; Richardson graduated in 2002.
- Guy Consolmagno born 1952 · astronomer, Jesuit brother
Studied here
The Jesuit boys' school on Detroit's northwest side where he studied before going to MIT.
- Manuel Moroun 1927–2020 · businessman, owner of the Ambassador Bridge
Studied here
Jesuit high school where Moroun graduated.
- L. Brooks Patterson 1939–2019 · lawyer, prosecutor, Oakland County executive
Studied here
The Jesuit prep school from which he graduated in 1957; he was named its alumnus of the year in 2005.
- Andy Farkas 1916–2001 · American football fullback
Studied here
Jesuit prep school on Detroit's northwest side where Farkas graduated.
- Lawrence Joseph born 1948 · poet, essayist, lawyer, law professor
Studied here
The Jesuit boys' school on Detroit's northwest side that he attended before the University of Michigan.
- Stephen Henderson born 1970 · journalist, columnist, radio and TV host
Studied here
He graduated from the Jesuit high school in 1988.
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Sources & fact check · Checked: 2026-09-25
An independently written bilingual guide. This collection is not an attendance-based ranking.
03 / Events
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