Presidents of the College

The first president of the college was Rev Thomas Murphy; others who served as president (or rector) of the college include

• Rev Garrett Connolly V.G.,
• Rev Dr Nicholas Foran (1814–1818)
• Rev Dr William Abraham (1824–1830), appointed Bishop of Waterford.
• Rev James Patrick Cooke DD (1830–1834 and again briefly from 1853 to 1854 when he died),^[1]
• Rev Dominick O'Brien DD (1834–1853),
• Rev Michael Wall (1854–1855),
• Rev Patrick Cleary DD (1856–1858) a brother of a former president,
• Rev Patrick Delaney DD (1858–1873),
• Rev James Vincent Cleary DD (CUI) (1873–1876), he became Archbishop of Kingston, Ontario.
• Rev Pierse Power (1876–1881),
• Rev Joseph Austin Phelan (1881–1888),
• Rev Roger O'Riordan (1888–1889),
• Rev Canon William Sheehy DD (1889–1902),
• Very Rev Canon William Walsh DD (1902–1910),
• Rev Denis Whelan DD OSA (1910–1919),
• Very Rev Canon William Byrne, STL DD (1919–1930),
• Very Rev Canon John Kelleher, STL BCL (1930–1936),
• Rev William Coffey (1936–19??),
• Very Rev Canon Thomas Cassidy,
• Right Rev Monsignor John Shine LCL, (1974–1980), vice-president (1971–1974) and Professor of Canon Law and Moral Theology^[3]
• Very Rev Canon Martin Slattery (1980–1985)
• Very Rev Michael N. O'Connor (1985–1994)
• Very Rev Dr Michael Mullins PP, BD, STL, LSS, STD (1994–1998), Professor of Scripture (1975–1998)^[4]
• Very Rev Paul Murphy PP

Students of St John's College

The Archbishop of Halifax William Walsh attended St John's, as did the Historian of Dr Patrick C. Power.^[5] Irish language activist Professor Michael O'Hickey dismissed from Maynooth over his stance on the language, studied at St John's, as did the author, language activist and musician Father Risteard De Hindeberg. Dr Tobias Kirby studied at St John's before going to Rome, where he went on to become rector of the Pontifical Irish College and an archbishop. Patrick Joseph McGrath^[6] who became Bishop of San Jose in California.^[2] John Vaughan trained as a priest in St John's, he transferred to the Episcopal Church and was elected a suffragan bishop in 2012 for the Diocese of the Eastern United States.^[7]

Bishop Edwin Regan of Wrexham also trained at St John's. Another bishop who commenced his priestly education in St John's (prior to going to Maynooth) was Bishop Michael Sheehan, he returned to St Johns's as a professor for two years.

Bishop William Lee MBE of Clifton in England, was a student in St John's before continuing his training in Oscott.

Bishop Séamus Cunningham of Newcastle and Hexham also trained in St. John's. The former bishop of Southwark, the Waterford-born Charles Henderson, studied at St John's.

Lawyer John Hearne SC, who helped draft the Irish Constitution, studied at St John's before transferring to Maynooth.

Archbishop of Toronto John Walsh was educated at St. John's before moving to Canada to complete his clerical training.

The Rt Rev Edward Barron, who served as bishop of Liberia, studied at St John's, before going to Rome; he returned to St John's serving as a professor before becoming a bishop.

Pat Buckley studied there from 1973 to 1976 and was ordained in the college on June 6, 1976, by the Bishop of Waterford and Lismore, Dr Michael Russell.

The writer and editor of the Waterford News Edmund Downey and Irish Liberal Party MP for Waterford City James Delahunty were also educated at St John's.

Bishop James Maher DD (1840-1905) of Port Augusta, Australia (1896-1905) studied Philosophy and Theology at St John's before being ordained in Maynooth.

J. F. X. O'Brien, the Irish nationalist and Fenian, who served as an MP for Mayo and Cork city studied divinity in St. John's.