St. John the Baptist altar,

Fisher memorial in the foreground

Into the bases of the altars in two of the side chapels in the Abbey Church, we find engraved memorials with prayer requests for two men. One of these, in the Chapel of Our Lady, is for William V. Griffin, whom The Current presented a few weeks ago (March 16-22, 2025). The second prayer request, engraved in the Chapel of John the Baptist on the ground floor on the south side of the church, is for Charles T. Fisher, Jr. These two men, as the altar engravings tell us, share 1958 as the year of their passage into eternal life. They also share a history of notable involvement and influence in the world of business in American society of the 20th century. Further, they share a deep attachment to the Catholic church, and a history of great charitable giving. Additionally, and demonstrated obviously through their prominent memorials in our church, they both came to share a significant connection to this monastery. The paths leading to those connections, however, distinguish the two. Whereas Mr. Griffin’s connection remains somewhat shrouded in mystery, the relationship of Mr. Fisher to Portsmouth is vividly clear. We can see it in the four sons who attended Portsmouth Priory School between the years 1944 and 1965. We can add to that the two nephews who joined them over that time. And if that is not enough, we can add the grandson who graduated in 1986.

Engraved prayer request

​For those of us entrenched in the fairly small world known as New England, and its yet smaller enclave known as Rhode Island, the Fisher family of Grosse Pointe, Michigan, name may not come to mind as one of prominence. For those familiar with the history of American industry, or with any familiarity with automotive history or the city of Detroit, it is quite a different story. Charles T. Fisher, Sr., together with his brother Fred, moved to Detroit from nearby Norwalk, Ohio in 1903, supplied with blacksmithing and woodworking skills. They added to this a good deal of ingenuity and a dose of ambition, applying these skills to the nascent automobile industry, effectively developing ways to manufacture enclosed car bodies. The Fisher Body Company soon became a principal supplier of car bodies to major American automobile producers. The two entrepreneurs were joined by their five brothers, and the company grew and diversified into a range of business ventures, with expanding success. In 1919, General Motors became a 60% owner of the company, with the Fisher family retaining involvement in its management. The Fishers were known not only for their financial achievements, but also for their generous philanthropy. The Detroit Historical Society notes: “Despite being an inherently private family, they were extremely generous with their wealth. Collectively, the family has given millions to various causes and organizations in Detroit. The brothers were dedicated to improving the city, with a notable contribution including the Fisher Building. The 26-story art deco building was designed by Albert Kahn and is a signature element of Detroit architectural greatness.”
Charles T. Fisher, Jr.It cannot be said precisely that Charles T. Fisher, Jr. “followed in his father’s footsteps,” unless one means that with great ingenuity and ambition he achieved remarkable success. But he applied his energies more directly to the world of finance and, as the Detroit Free Press affirmed, “brought further prestige as a banker and civic leader to the famed automotive family.” Mr. Fisher graduated from Georgetown University with a Bachelor of Science degree and quickly began to pursue a career in banking. The Free Press tells us that, aided by a “warm personality and grasp of finance,” he “had applied for a job with the Guardian Bank of Detroit. This was the only time he ever had to seek a job. From then on, positions and responsibilities sought him.” For the next two decades, “Chick” Fisher held a stunning series of positions of responsibility, including secretary-treasurer of the National Credit Association (1931), manager of the Detroit office of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation and subsequently a director of the national office in Washington (1935). He moved between public service and private business over these years, and with the State of Michigan also desiring his services, Governor Frank Murphy appointed him Commissioner of Banking for the State. In accepting Mr. Fisher’s resignation from the RFC then, the President wrote to him: “This will enable you to start the new year with my friend, Governor Murphy, as his commissioner of banking. Otherwise, I should be reluctant to have you leave the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. I know something of the valuable services you have rendered our government and my administration in your Reconstruction Finance Corporation work, and wish you success and enjoyment in your new responsibilities. With warm regards to Elizabeth and you. Sincerely yours, Franklin D. Roosevelt.” We might note that at this point, Chick Fisher was not yet 30 years of age.
Charles T. Fisher, Jr. and
Elizabeth Briggs FisherIn 1938, he became the president of the National Bank of Detroit, but subsequently again was called to serve his country when in 1942, with the Second World War expanding the operations of the RFC, President Roosevelt again called on him work as a director there. After three years, he returned to the National Bank. Over his career, we can also note his work as a director on the boards of American Airlines, American Broadcasting-Paramount Theaters, Briggs Manufacturing, Cunningham Drugstores, Detroit Edison, Michigan Bell Telephone, National Steel, and Sheraton-Cadillac. Add to this service as a director of the audit committee of General Motors Corp., as Public Interest director of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis, with the business advisory council of the Department of Commerce, as treasurer and director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Inc., vice chairman of the Mackinac Bridge Authority, director of the Metropolitan Detroit Building Fund, trustee of the Michigan Heart Association, aide to the Secretary of the Army for Michigan, and treasurer and director of the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Michigan.
Yearbook photos for the sons of Charles T. Fisher, Jr. (l to r): Charles III ’47, Fred ’50, Walter ’53, John ’65Neither the breakneck speed of his rise within the world of finance and government nor the breadth of his professional and civic involvement prevented Mr. Fisher from also raising, with his wife Elizabeth Briggs Fisher, a family of seven children, four boys and three girls. The Briggs family, another Detroit family known for its success in manufacturing, as well as for its ownership of the Detroit Tigers, happened to be neighbors of the Fishers in the 1920s. Charles then met the young Elizabeth Briggs and they were engaged in 1928, married in early 1929. The Detroit Free Press reported that for this notable Detroit union, “hundreds of persons lined Jefferson for the colorful wedding at SS. Peter and Paul Church.” Of the three daughters of this “large Catholic family,” one joined the Society of the Sacred Heart – Mother Mary Elizabeth Fisher, RSCJ. And from the early 1940’s into the early 1960’s, all four of their sons attended Portsmouth Priory School: Charles III ’47, Fred ’50, Walter ’53, and John ’65 (joined by two of their cousins, William ’53 and Louis ’54). We see in this generation of Fishers, we can add, the continuation of the Fisher family propensity for truly developing their God-given talents, for success in business, and for great civic engagement and philanthropy, as well as for dedicated service to their country in the military. And we should add to this the subsequent generation as well, represented by the son of John ’65, Ambrose Fisher ’86 – whose name was chosen in honor of Fr. Ambrose Wolverton, a Portsmouth monk of blessed memory.
John A. Fisher ’65, youngest son of Charles T. Fisher, Jr., graciously provided feedback on this article and contributed this image of Fr. Ambrose Wolverton conducting the School’s Glee Club at the Plaza Hotel in NYC in 1964. John is in the back row, fourth from the left.For the monastery, the years of the attendance of the sons of Charles and Elizabeth Fisher represent a time of significant growth in the community, including its attaining independent status in 1949 and its gradual development of plans for construction of a new monastery and church, leading to the array of Belluschi structures that now shape the upper campus. The year 1958 was particularly notable at Portsmouth as it saw, following the groundbreaking dedication of All Saints Day of 1957, a year of visible construction of the long planned Church of St. Gregory the Great. Sadly, for the Fishers of Grosse Pointe, the year also brought the untimely death from cancer of Charles T. Fisher, Jr., at the age of just 51. Mr. Fisher would predecease his father by five years. His youngest son, John, had not yet even begun at the Priory School. One might take some solace in recognizing in his life the long list of achievements and the remarkable impact he was able to have, yet wonder at what more years would have made possible, for him and for the communities he so diligently served. It is indeed an honor to have him commemorated in our Abbey Church, and to take up again the request his memorial dedication makes of us, to “Please pray for Charles T. Fisher, Jr..” And let us add to this request prayers for Elizabeth Briggs Fisher, who passed away in 2002 at the age of 95, survived at the time of her death by 22 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren.
The Abbey Church was in early stages of construction at the time
of Mr. Fisher’s death (Image from Portsmouth Bulletin, 1959)

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