Fordham University is a private, independent research university in New York City, founded by the Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841. It is the oldest Catholic institution of higher education in the northeastern United States, and the third-oldest university in New York. Established as St. John's College by John Hughes, the first Archbishop of New York, it was placed in the care of the Society of Jesus shortly thereafter, and has since become a Jesuit-affiliated independent school under a lay board of trustees.