Fournier Institute of Technology records

Finding aid updated on 9/20/2018

The Fournier Institute of Technology operated from 1943 to 1955 as a high school and college for young men. The school was located in Lemont, Illinois, a southwest suburb of Chicago. The building originally opened in 1928 under the operation of Clerics of St. Viator as a Viatorian Novitiate. The property was then purchased by the Arthur J. Schmitt Foundation in 1941 and converted into a two year high school and a four year college, which was named the Fournier Institute of Technology. As the founder of the Amphenol Corporation, a company that became the primary manufacturer of connectors in military hardware, Arthur J. Schmitt was inspired to create an engineering school due to the high demand for engineers needed for the war effort. The Fournier Institute of Technology opened in 1943. Since the school opened during World War II, the Fournier Institute of Technology’s college-level classes did not commence until 1947. Schmitt believed that education should be provided to all, despite a family’s financial ability. The Schmitt Foundation used funds received from patents to provide full scholarships to all students that attended the school. The high school system graduated its last class in 1951 due to the low number of students who wanted to pursue a career in engineering. The college graduated its last class in 1955. The decision to close the Fournier Institute of Technology was also influenced by rising operational costs. The Schmitt Foundation considered that the education of students through scholarships was more cost effective than spending financial resources on the upkeep and operations of physical buildings and land. After the school’s closure, students received scholarship grants from the Schmitt Foundation to attend other institutions. In 1955, part of the Fournier Institute of Technology’s property was donated to The Society of Priests of the Congregation of the Mission of Chicago (Vincentians) by the Arthur J. Schmitt Foundation. The property was then converted into St. Vincent de Paul Seminary, a minor seminary established for young men of high school age that had expressed interest in becoming priests. In 1964, the Vincentians moved the College of Theology at St. Mary’s of the Barrens to the property.

This collection contains documentation of the history of the Fournier Institute of Technology, correspondence and memoranda, handbooks, memorabilia, speeches delivered by Arthur J. Schmitt, publications and photographs. Also included in this collection are legal documents from the Arthur J. Schmitt Foundation and from the Fournier Institute of Technology.

This collection is arranged into five series: 1. History and Background; 2. Speeches Prepared and Delivered by Arthur J. Schmitt; 3. Publications; 4. February 2012 Addition; 5. June 2014 Addition.

• NamesFournier Institute
• Subject
  • Engineering schools--Illinois
  • Trade schools--Illinois

St. Vincent de Paul Seminary records, Lemont, IL; DeAndreis Seminary records, Lemont, IL

This collection is open for research use.

The preferred citation is: Fournier Institute of Technology records, [Box#, Folder#], Special Collections and Archives, DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois.

Donated by Arthur J. Schmitt Foundation, Accession 1992.40; 2012.06; 2014.093

L. Demmee 1993; M. Morley 2013; A. Martinez 2016