Xavier University is a private, coeducational university located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was founded in 1831 as the first Catholic institution of higher learning in the Northwest Territory. Jesuits assumed control of the institution under the leadership of John A. Elet, S.J., and renamed it St. Xavier College in 1840. In 1919, the college moved from downtown Cincinnati to Avondale, and in 1930, the college was renamed Xavier University. Xavier is a Catholic institution in the Jesuit tradition. The university has remained firmly rooted in the principles and conviction of the Judeo-Christian tradition and in the best ideals of American heritage.