Robert James Fulton SJ (June 28, 1826 – September 4, 1895) was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who twice served as the president of Boston College, from 1870 to 1880 and 1888 to 1891.

He eventually became the first prefect of studies at the newly founded Boston College, overseeing the school's teachers and curriculum.

Robert James Fulton was born on June 28, 1826, in the city of Alexandria, then located in the District of Columbia.

His paternal ancestors had emigrated to the United States in the 18th century and initially settled near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

He completed his tertianship in 1861, and in March of that year,[9] was sent to Boston College to teach a course on moral theology to the Jesuit scholastics.

[9][11] On September 5, 1864, Boston College admitted the first class of 22 lay students,[9] a number Fulton considered to be lackluster.

[12] He had exclusive control over the academic affairs of the school, even though he was not the president,[13] and personally taught many of the classes himself.

[17] Upon his retirement as the first president of the college in 1869, John Bapst recommended to the Jesuit Superior General that Fulton succeed him.

[18] On August 2, 1870, Fulton succeeded Brady as the vice-rector and president of Boston College and the pastor of the Church of the Immaculate Conception.

Fulton was given only two days' notice from the provincial superior of the end of his presidency, and he was, unusually, made the prefect of studies and an assistant to O'Connor.

[32] In 1880, Fulton purchased a plot of land on 83rd Street for $7,500 (equivalent to approximately $203,000 in 2023),[33] where the Loyola School would open 20 years later.

[36] Fulton became the president of Gonzaga College and pastor of St. Aloysius Church in Washington, D.C., on June 21, 1881,[32][37] succeeding Charles K.

[38] The school's finances were in a poor state, with the institution having a debt of around $192,000 (equivalent to approximately $5.2 million in 2023)[33] and operating on a yearly deficit.

[40] Fulton was named to succeed Robert W. Brady as the provincial superior of the Jesuit Maryland-New York Province, assuming office on May 28, 1882.

[44] He raised $125,000 (equivalent to approximately $3.7 million in 2023)[33] to expand the facilitates of the Young Men's Catholic Association, and construction began in 1889.

[46] Upon the suggestion of the Archbishop of Boston, John Joseph Williams, Fulton separated an English high school division, as a distinct course of study, from the college in September 1889.

When it became clear that his health was not improving, the provincial superior appointed Edward I. Devitt as vice-rector of the college on January 8, 1891, who assumed management of its affairs.

[50] In his later years, Fulton spent time at Jesuit facilities in New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. and was eventually named the chair of English literature at Georgetown, teaching postgraduate students.