After his studies at Ushaw, he joined the navy and briefly traveled to Hindostan before returning to England to work at firms in Newcastle and London.

[3] In 1851 Larkin returned to Fordham where he became the President of St. John's College (now Fordham University), and for the next three years he "exerted such an extraordinary influence over pupils of all ages as he exercised—an influence that did not cease with the college life, but made itself felt in after years and stamped the future career of many of the men who were disciplined by him as boys.

"[3] Larkin did encounter issues during his presidency; in particular, there were repercussions when he cancelled the St. Patrick's Day holiday, and then there were threats from the Know Nothings.

When Larkin's administration cancelled the holiday, Irish students brought cheap marbles and destroyed a majority of the college's windows.

After the fallout from St. Patrick's day, two meetings on Fordham Heights were held by the Know Nothings to plot setting fire to St. John's.