Alpha Delta Phi
Encyclopedia
Alpha Delta Phi is a Greek-letter social college fraternity
and the fourth-oldest continuous Greek-letter fraternity in the United States and Canada. Alpha Delta Phi was founded on October 29, 1832 by Samuel Eells
at Hamilton College and includes former U.S. Presidents, Chief Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Senators among its 50,000+ alumni. Today, the name refers to both the all-male fraternity and the Alpha Delta Phi Society, which separated from the fraternity in 1992 and permits co-educated chapters. The Fraternity and the Society are both derived from Eells's vision for a "literary society
," with each chapter upholding its literary tradition. The Dartmouth College
chapter was the inspiration for National Lampoon's Animal House
.
Alpha Delta Phi was the first fraternity to establish a chapter west of the Allegheny Mountains
when it formed a chapter at Miami University
in 1833. This chapter inspired the formation of three national fraternities at Miami in the 19th Century.
Alpha Delta Phi was also a charter member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference
(formerly known as the National Interfraternity Conference) (NIC), and a Brother of Alpha Delta Phi, Hamilton W. Mabie
(Williams College, class of 1867), was the first President of the NIC.
For Yale University
's campus, Alpha Delta Phi ranked first among all of the university's fraternities. It was brothers of Alpha Delta Phi that were mostly tapped to join the university's top-ranked senior society Skull and Bones
. Issues with the number of Alpha Delta Phi's tapped for Skull and Bones also led to the creation of Yale's second society Scroll and Key
.
On October 29, 1832, Eells gathered four other upstanding members, two from the Phoenix and two from the Philopeuthian, to a meeting in his room, No. 15 Back-Middle, Kirkland Hall. The four other men were Lorenzo Latham, John Curtiss Underwood, Oliver Andrew Morse and Henry Lemuel Storrs. At that meeting, Eells drew up the fraternity's constitution while he and Latham together drew up the fraternity's emblem and symbols. Later in the year other members were added and thus the first chapter of the Alpha Delta Phi was in full operation by the beginning of 1833.
. In addition, the Fraternity has a regional alumni organization, the Midwest Association of Alpha Delta Phi, which is more than 125 years old. Alpha Delta Phi also has the third oldest continuous chapter in the North America Fraternity System, which is also the second oldest Alpha chapter at Hamilton College.
(Source: )
The 1896 songbook is available via Google books.
used now to distinguish the all-male Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity from the co-ed Alpha Delta Phi Society. In general parlance, the Fraternity refers to itself simply as the "Alpha Delta Phi"; the Society uses either the "Alpha Delta Phi Society" or "The Society".
Under the terms of this agreement, the Fraternity and the Society are completely separate and independent legal entities with separate governing bodies, and are not separate or parallel divisions of the same organization. The two groups are both licensees who use the name and intellectual property. The Society espouses "home rule," letting each chapter decide whether or not to co-educate. To date, all of its chapters are coeducational. There are limitations on both organizations as to where they can have chapters, and there are limitations on the use of the name Alpha Delta Phi by the Society.
The Society was founded in 1992 by four chapters: Brunonian (at Brown University
), Columbia (at Columbia University
), Middletown (at Wesleyan University
), and Stanford (at Stanford University
). The Bowdoin Chapter, which had been required to withdraw from the Fraternity by the administration of Bowdoin College
, joined the Society a year later. In 1994, the Society's first new chapter was formed at Middlebury College
, becoming Alpha Delta Phi's first chapter to have a coeducational status from its inception.
Bowdoin College later abolished its fraternity system, and in 2000, the Bowdoin Chapter became alumni-only. However, the Bowdoin Chapter remains active and still inducts new members who are not current Bowdoin students. In 2005, Middlebury's undergraduate chapter chose to disassociate itself from the national society, and it became alumni-only as well. In 2010, the Granite Chapter at the University of New Hampshire
was granted its charter and became the newest chapter of the Society. The Society also has three active affiliate chapters at Harvard University
, the University of Pennsylvania
, and the University of Vermont
.
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
and the fourth-oldest continuous Greek-letter fraternity in the United States and Canada. Alpha Delta Phi was founded on October 29, 1832 by Samuel Eells
Samuel Eells
Samuel Eells was a 19th-Century American philosopher, essayist and orator who founded the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity in 1832 at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York.-Early life:...
at Hamilton College and includes former U.S. Presidents, Chief Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Senators among its 50,000+ alumni. Today, the name refers to both the all-male fraternity and the Alpha Delta Phi Society, which separated from the fraternity in 1992 and permits co-educated chapters. The Fraternity and the Society are both derived from Eells's vision for a "literary society
Literary society
A literary society is a group of people interested in literature. In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote one genre of literature or a specific writer. Modern literary societies typically promote research about their chosen author or genre, publish newsletters, and hold...
," with each chapter upholding its literary tradition. The Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
chapter was the inspiration for National Lampoon's Animal House
National Lampoon's Animal House
National Lampoon's Animal House is a 1978 American comedy film directed by John Landis. The film was a direct spin-off of National Lampoon magazine...
.
Alpha Delta Phi was the first fraternity to establish a chapter west of the Allegheny Mountains
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
when it formed a chapter at Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
in 1833. This chapter inspired the formation of three national fraternities at Miami in the 19th Century.
Alpha Delta Phi was also a charter member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference
North-American Interfraternity Conference
The North-American Interfraternity Conference , is an association of collegiate men's fraternities that was formally organized in 1910, although it began on November 27, 1909. The power of the organization rests in a House of Delegates where each member fraternity is represented by a single delegate...
(formerly known as the National Interfraternity Conference) (NIC), and a Brother of Alpha Delta Phi, Hamilton W. Mabie
Hamilton Wright Mabie
Hamilton Wright Mabie, A.M., L.H.D., LL.D. was an American essayist, editor, critic, and lecturer.-Biography:He was born at Cold Spring, N. Y. in 1846. Mabie was the youngest child of Sarah Colwell Mabie who was from a wealthy Scottish-English family and Levi Jeremiah Mabie, whose ancestors were...
(Williams College, class of 1867), was the first President of the NIC.
For Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
's campus, Alpha Delta Phi ranked first among all of the university's fraternities. It was brothers of Alpha Delta Phi that were mostly tapped to join the university's top-ranked senior society Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
. Issues with the number of Alpha Delta Phi's tapped for Skull and Bones also led to the creation of Yale's second society Scroll and Key
Scroll and Key
The Scroll and Key Society is a secret society, founded in 1842 at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut. It is the wealthiest and second oldest Yale secret society...
.
Founding
When Samuel Eells arrived on campus at Hamilton College he found two existing literary societies, the Phoenix and the Philopeuthian, the latter of which he reluctantly joined. Eells quickly became disenchanted with both societies' unscrupulous recruiting tactics and considered creating his own society which would disavow what he had regarded as jealous and unsavory competition between the existing two. Eells proposed to select members from both the Phoenix and the Philopeuthian and found a new society of limited membership based on "the loftiest of intellectual and moral ideals."On October 29, 1832, Eells gathered four other upstanding members, two from the Phoenix and two from the Philopeuthian, to a meeting in his room, No. 15 Back-Middle, Kirkland Hall. The four other men were Lorenzo Latham, John Curtiss Underwood, Oliver Andrew Morse and Henry Lemuel Storrs. At that meeting, Eells drew up the fraternity's constitution while he and Latham together drew up the fraternity's emblem and symbols. Later in the year other members were added and thus the first chapter of the Alpha Delta Phi was in full operation by the beginning of 1833.
Philosophy
From its early days, Alpha Delta Phi sought students of a decided literary orientation. In the founder's own words, the literary pursuit of the fraternity must "be built on a more comprehensive scale than other societies, ... providing for every variety of taste and talent and embracing every department of literature and science... It must be national and universal in its adaptations, so as not merely to cultivate a taste for literature or furnish the mind with knowledge, but with a true philosophical spirit looking to the entire man, so as to develop his whole being -- moral, social and intellectual." Today, the literary tradition is continued on the international level in the form of annual literary competitions sponsored by the Samuel Eells Literary and Educational Foundation, which awards cash prizes in each of five categories.Chapters
As of August. 2011, the Fraternity has 34 chapters and 4 affiliates, the oldest chapter existing at Hamilton College and the most recent affiliate at University of California, DavisUniversity of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
. In addition, the Fraternity has a regional alumni organization, the Midwest Association of Alpha Delta Phi, which is more than 125 years old. Alpha Delta Phi also has the third oldest continuous chapter in the North America Fraternity System, which is also the second oldest Alpha chapter at Hamilton College.
Notable alumni
Notable alumni of the Alpha Delta Phi include, among others:- Theodore RooseveltTheodore RooseveltTheodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
, President of the United States - Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin D. RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
, President of the United States - William R. DayWilliam R. DayWilliam Rufus Day was an American diplomat and jurist, who served for nineteen years as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.-Biography:...
, Secretary of State, Supreme Court Justice - Bainbridge ColbyBainbridge ColbyBainbridge Colby was an American lawyer, a founder of the United States Progressive Party and Woodrow Wilson's last Secretary of State.-Life:...
, Secretary of StateSecretary of StateSecretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government.... - Salmon P. ChaseSalmon P. ChaseSalmon Portland Chase was an American politician and jurist who served as U.S. Senator from Ohio and the 23rd Governor of Ohio; as U.S. Treasury Secretary under President Abraham Lincoln; and as the sixth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.Chase was one of the most prominent members...
(Hon.), Secretary of the Treasury, Chief Justice of the United States - Harlan F. Stone, Chief Justice of the United States
- Samuel BlatchfordSamuel BlatchfordSamuel Blatchford was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from April 3, 1882 until his death.-Early life:...
, Supreme Court Justice - Henry B. Brown, Supreme Court Justice
- George Shiras Jr., Supreme Court Justice
- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Supreme Court Justice
- William H. Woodin, Secretary of the Treasury
- Charles S. FairchildCharles S. FairchildCharles Stebbins Fairchild was a New York businessman and politician.-Biography:Born in Cazenovia, New York, to Sidney and Helen Fairchild, he graduated from Harvard College in 1863 and Harvard Law School in 1865. He was married to Helen Lincklaen in 1871...
, Secretary of the Treasury - Dwight F. DavisDwight F. DavisDwight Filley Davis was an American tennis player and politician. He is best remembered as the founder of the Davis Cup international tennis competition.-Biography:...
, Secretary of War - James R. Garfield, Secretary of the Interior
- Charles Francis Adams IIICharles Francis Adams IIICharles Francis Adams III was the United States Secretary of the Navy under President Herbert Hoover and a well-known yachtsman.-Life:...
, Secretary of the Navy - William B. AllisonWilliam B. AllisonWilliam Boyd Allison was an early leader of the Iowa Republican Party, who represented northeastern Iowa for four consecutive terms in the U.S. House before representing his state for six consecutive terms in the U.S. Senate...
, United States Senator - George E. PughGeorge E. PughGeorge Ellis Pugh was a Democratic politician from Ohio. He served in the U.S. Senate.Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Pugh attended Miami University. He began practicing law in 1843, later serving as a Captain in the 4th Ohio Regiment in the Mexican-American War...
, United States Senator - Adonijah S. Welch, United States Senator
- Phineas W. Hitchcock, United States Senator
- Watson C. SquireWatson C. SquireWatson Carvosso Squire was a United States Senator from Washington.-Biography:Born in Cape Vincent, New York, he attended the public schools, Falley Seminary and Fairfield Seminary . He graduated from Wesleyan University in 1859 and was principal of the Moravia Institute...
, United States Senator - Joseph V. QuarlesJoseph V. QuarlesJoseph Very Quarles, Jr. was an American politician of the Republican Party who served as a United States federal judge and as a United States Senator from Wisconsin.-Biography:...
, United States Senator - Joseph Medill McCormickJoseph M. McCormickJoseph Medill McCormick , known as Medill, was part of the McCormick family of businessmen and politicians in Chicago...
, United States Senator - Wallace H. White, Jr.Wallace H. White, Jr.Wallace Humphrey White, Jr. was a prominent American politician and Republican leader in United States Congress from 1916 until 1949. White was from the U.S. state of Maine and served in the U.S. House of Representatives before being elected to the U.S...
, United States Senator - Henry W. KeyesHenry W. KeyesHenry Wilder Keyes was an American farmer, banker, and Republican politician from Haverhill, New Hampshire. Born in 1863 in Newbury, Vermont, he was raised in New Hampshire. His father was a prominent New England farmer, merchant, and railroad investor. Keyes graduated from Harvard with a B.A...
, United States Senator - Frank O. HortonFrank O. HortonFrank Ogilvie Horton was a United States Representative from Wyoming. Born in Muscatine, Iowa, he attended the public schools, graduated from Morgan Park Military Academy in 1899 and from the University of Chicago in 1903...
, United States Senator - Joshua L. Chamberlain Gov. of Maine, Civil War Medal of Honor recipient
- Larry J. Estrada, Mayor of Fort Collins, Colorado
- Jackson RohmJackson RohmJackson Rohm is an American country/pop musician. He was born in Jamestown, New York, and currently lives in Lakewood, Ohio.-Early life:Rohm graduated from Southwestern High School in West Ellicott, New York, in 1989. He considered attending Cornell University and the University of Virginia before...
, Singer, Songwriter, International Sex Symbol
(Source: )
Songs of the Alpha Delta Phi
Since its founding, the Alpha Delta Phi has adopted several fraternity songs written by members of its chapters. The songs can be downloaded from the fraternity's website or a songbook obtained from the fraternity's office.The 1896 songbook is available via Google books.
The Society
The Fraternity is a retronymRetronym
A retronym is a type of neologism that provides a new name for an object or concept to differentiate the original form or version of it from a more recent form or version. The original name is most often augmented with an adjective to account for later developments of the object or concept itself...
used now to distinguish the all-male Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity from the co-ed Alpha Delta Phi Society. In general parlance, the Fraternity refers to itself simply as the "Alpha Delta Phi"; the Society uses either the "Alpha Delta Phi Society" or "The Society".
Co-Ed Agreement of 1992
The Brunonian (Brown University) chapter first initiated women into its local membership in November, 1973 and this was followed by a proposal at the 1974 national convention to either allow individual chapters to admit women or to do so fraternity-wide. This debate was often contentious with most chapters opposed, some members lobbying for full admission of women but a larger number wanting to ban women altogether or grant them some form of associate membership. In 1992 an Agreement was made that allowed five chapters to withdraw from the fraternity (the Brunonian, Columbia, Middletown, Stanford and Bowdoin) and to allow those chapters wishing be coeducational to create the Alpha Delta Phi Society separate from the existing Fraternity.Under the terms of this agreement, the Fraternity and the Society are completely separate and independent legal entities with separate governing bodies, and are not separate or parallel divisions of the same organization. The two groups are both licensees who use the name and intellectual property. The Society espouses "home rule," letting each chapter decide whether or not to co-educate. To date, all of its chapters are coeducational. There are limitations on both organizations as to where they can have chapters, and there are limitations on the use of the name Alpha Delta Phi by the Society.
Chapters
As of 2010 the Society has five undergraduate chapters, three undergraduate affiliates, and six alumni chapters.The Society was founded in 1992 by four chapters: Brunonian (at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
), Columbia (at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
), Middletown (at Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
), and Stanford (at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
). The Bowdoin Chapter, which had been required to withdraw from the Fraternity by the administration of Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College , founded in 1794, is an elite private liberal arts college located in the coastal Maine town of Brunswick, Maine. As of 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranks Bowdoin 6th among liberal arts colleges in the United States. At times, it was ranked as high as 4th in the country. It is...
, joined the Society a year later. In 1994, the Society's first new chapter was formed at Middlebury College
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
, becoming Alpha Delta Phi's first chapter to have a coeducational status from its inception.
Bowdoin College later abolished its fraternity system, and in 2000, the Bowdoin Chapter became alumni-only. However, the Bowdoin Chapter remains active and still inducts new members who are not current Bowdoin students. In 2005, Middlebury's undergraduate chapter chose to disassociate itself from the national society, and it became alumni-only as well. In 2010, the Granite Chapter at the University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. An additional campus is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH is the largest university in New Hampshire. The university is...
was granted its charter and became the newest chapter of the Society. The Society also has three active affiliate chapters at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, and the University of Vermont
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
.
See also
- Alpha Delta, former chapter at Dartmouth CollegeDartmouth CollegeDartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
- Samuel EellsSamuel EellsSamuel Eells was a 19th-Century American philosopher, essayist and orator who founded the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity in 1832 at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York.-Early life:...
, Founder