Phi Beta Kappa

Phi Beta Kappa was founded on December 5th 1776 by five students from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. This first meeting was held at the Old Raleigh Tavern in the Apollo Room, which had seen many other historic meetings before this one. One example would be “In 1769 and 1774 the Virginia House of Burgesses assembled…after governors dissolved their elected assembly” (Lombardi, n.d., ¶ 2). This organization was created “to foment revolution not against the crown but against the state of the college’s student societies” (Lombardi, n.d., ¶ 3). Even though there were already student societies at the College of William and Mary, John Heath, the first president of Phi Beta Kappa, specifically wanted to create an organization that was “secret and select but would be much more serious-minded” (Current, 1990,  p. 5).  Phi Beta Kappa was created for the founders and those who came after to “have the freedom to discuss any topic they chose” (A Brief History of Phi Beta Kappa, n.d., ¶ 3).

On January 5, 1777, this chapter met “to “adopt a mode of initiation”, provide for better security” and organize by electing officers” (Current, 1990, p. 5). The nine original members initiated themselves into the organization by “taking an oath of “fidelity” in which they swore to be true to the “growing fraternity” and keep all its secrets. Then they chose a clerk, a treasurer, and a president” (Current, 1990, p. 5).

All information was received from: 

A Brief History of Phi Beta Kappa. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2015, from https://www.pbk.org/WEB/PBK_Member/

About_PBK/PBK_History/PBK_Member/

PBK_History.aspx?hkey=44391228-bb7c-4705-

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Current, R. N. (1990). Phi beta kappa in american life: The first two hundred years. New York, New York: Oxford University Press.

Lombardi, M. (n.d.). History.org: The colonial williamsburg foundation’s official history and citizenship website. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from http://www.history.org/foundation/

One of the first things the Alpha Chapter did was create their brand.

The name, in Latin, was to be Societas Philosophiae, which could be translated as “Philosophical Society” or perhaps better as “Society of Lovers of Learning.” The motto, in Greek, was to be Φιλοσοφι′α βι′ου Κυβερνητης (Lombardi, n.d., ¶ 8) “Philosophy (or love of wisdom) the guide of life.” (Current, 1990, p. 5)

The badge of Phi Beta Kappa was a silver square with the initials S.P. on one side and the Greek letters of Phi Beta Kappa on the other side. With the Greek letters, a hand with an index finger pointing to three stars. These stars represented friendship, morality, and literature. The Fraternity even came up with a handshake which could be described as “a salutation of the clasp of the hands, together with an immediate stroke across the mouth with the back of the same hand, and a return with the hand used by the saluted” (Current, 1990, p. 6). In order to keep everything a secret, the clerk, or secretary, made sure to make all the important notes illegible by crossing out anything describing the organization. The only things that were visible were the initials.

All information was received from: Current, R. N. (1990). Phi beta kappa in american life: The first two hundred years. New York, New York: Oxford University Press.

Lombardi, M. (n.d.). History.org: The colonial williamsburg foundation’s official history and citizenship website. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from http://www.history.org/foundation/

Originally, regular meeting were held once a month unless the need for other meetings presented itself. The rules ended up changing three different times in 1778 to meeting every two week, then to every week, then back to every two weeks. Attendance at these meetings was not always noted in the minutes, but a member could expect a “five-shilling fine for missing a meeting without and acceptable excuse, and said “That the least appearance of intoxication or disorder of any member by liquor, at a session, subjects him to a penalty of ten shillings” (Lombardi, n.d., ¶ 13). Unfortunately this did not stop members from missing meetings. One of the later presidents lived outside the college and missed so many meetings that a vice president was appointed to take over when the president was not there.

All information was received from: 

Current, R. N. (1990). Phi beta kappa in american life: The first two hundred years. New York, New York: Oxford University Press.

Lombardi, M. (n.d.). History.org: The colonial williamsburg foundation’s official history and citizenship website. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from http://www.history.org/foundation/

The main purpose of Phi Beta Kappa meeting was to hold discussions and debate for the purpose of “self-improvement in the art of public speaking” (Current, 1990, p. 8). The process for the debates was outlined in their bylaws: “two would present written arguments and two others would debate an issue. Three judges decided the winners of the debates and selected the best compositions” (Lombardi, n.d., ¶ 11; Current, 1990, p. 8). Unfortunately, none of the winning compositions are known to exist. Some of the debate topics, which were noted in past minutes, included: “Whether anything is more dangerous to Civil Liberty in a free State than a Standing Army in time of Peace; and Whether any form of Government is more favorable to public virtue than a Commonwealth” (Lombardi, n.d., ¶ 12) to name a few.

All information was received from: 

Current, R. N. (1990). Phi beta kappa in american life: The first two hundred years. New York, New York: Oxford University Press.

Lombardi, M. (n.d.). History.org: The colonial williamsburg foundation’s official history and citizenship website. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from http://www.history.org/foundation/

To be eligible for membership, a candidate needed to be a member of a college, and needed to be sixteen years old.  To become a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the candidate would need to be initiated first. This process started with the candidate being blindfolded and the sponsor of said candidate bringing him into a room where the rest of the brothers waited. The president would then ask him if he would “respect the principles of the society and keep them confidential but also whether he would regard every member as a brother and would assist a brother in distress with “Life and Fortune” (Current, 1990, p. 6). When the president got consenting answers, the president provided the oath and removed the blindfold. It was then that the candidate would learn all the hidden secrets of Phi Beta Kappa.

“On May 8, 1779, the [Phi Beta Kappa] brothers made the epochal decision to branch out” (Current, 1990, p.10).  Because the College of William and Mary possessed the original chapter of the society, it would be known as the Alpha Chapter. The way the Alpha chapter would branch out would be to hold “charter parties”. This involved “an agreement written in duplicate on the same sheet of paper and torn in two, one part kept by the originating chapter, the other going to the new branch” (Lombardi, n.d., ¶ 15). With the help of Elisha Parmele, the organization circulated to other institutions as well. He was able to create the Alpha of Connecticut at Yale and the Alpha of Massachusetts at Harvard.

All information was received from: 

Current, R. N. (1990). Phi beta kappa in american life: The first two hundred years. New York, New York: Oxford University Press.

Lombardi, M. (n.d.). History.org: The colonial williamsburg foundation’s official history and citizenship website. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from http://www.history.org/foundation/

Once other students took notice of Phi Beta Kappa, their existence became a threat. The Yale chapter became the first chapter under attack. In 1786, three students broke in to the Secretary’s study stole the trunk with all the contents. Luckily these students were caught and even paid for the damage. The next time the records disappeared, they were not found again. The chapters began to question their worth at the different institutions and some even questioned whether they would be able to survive the hostile environment they were surrounded with.

Eventually the New Hampshire Alpha had become the victim of burglary when “[t]hree seniors entered the room of one of their number while his roommate, a [Phi Beta Kappa] member, was absent” (Current, 1990, p. 31). These students located papers of the society and published them.

Over time, faculty members gained more control over the chapters. This cause the chapters began to discard the secrecy and put more emphasis on academics. “Scholarship was always one of the qualifications for election to Phi Beta Kappa, but not necessarily the most important one” (Current, 1990, p. 57). Starting in the 1820s, scholarship became more of what Phi Beta Kappa was looking for. While secrecy had been diminished greatly, some chapters attempted to kept their discussions and votes about candidates secret. On September 13, 1831, “the minutes read…as the Secrecy of the Soc. was now destroyed” (Current, 1990, p. 64).

The organization changed dramatically when the secrecy was taken away. All that was left was honoring scholarship. But honoring scholarship became what the society did best. “It honored individual scholars by welcoming them into its company, and it honored scholarship in general by inviting learned or knowledgeable men to speak. Phi Beta Kappa became famous for the addresses that it sponsored” (Current, 1990, p. 66). Two examples of some of the earliest orators were John Quincy Adams, and Daniel Webster. Phi Beta Kappa addresses were even published in magazines like North American Review.

While transitioning to a new type of society, Phi Beta Kappa was facing issues again. Because of their original ties to secrecy, accusations of the organization being associated with the Illuminati surfaced. Avery Allyn even far enough to say that because Phi Beta Kappa was once a secret society, they were “as susceptible of being perverted to unholy and dangerous purposes” (Current, 1990, p. 55). He not only accused them of being a negative organization, he also revealed the deepest secrets of the society including the medal and what the initials stood for, and he even explained how the handshake went: “two figures clasping each other by the wrist with the right hand, and another figure passing the back of his right hand across his mouth” (Current, 1990, p. 55). No longer were there any secrets about this organization.

In 1825 new Greek-letter organizations were being created that encompassed many of the characteristics that Phi Beta Kappa was losing. “They kept secrets. The emphasized sociability and allowed each member to exclude anyone he considered undesirable. They were student-centered and student-controlled” (Current, 1990, p. 61). Ironically enough, some of these organizations were created by Phi Beta Kappa members. When nine seniors at Union College got together to create Kappa Alpha in 1825, seven of the nine were involved with Phi Beta Kappa. Also created at Union College were Sigma Phi and Delta Phi in 1827.  These three organizations got involved at other institutions including Hamilton College, and Williams College and started the trend for social Greek letter organization in the United States.

Skull and Bones became the first social organization at Yale in 1832. It was open to seniors only and was comprised of those who did not make it into Phi Beta Kappa. A rival organization to Skull and Bones was Scroll and Key. These organizations were only found at Yale and were secret to the point where members would not refer to the organizations in any way, other than to those involved.

Because the chapters were focusing more on scholarship, this gave more opportunity for candidates to get blackballed. Some chapters followed their own elections procedures. This caused the faculty to take over the role of elections within the chapter. “The elections were scheduled for late in the senior year, and initiations were set for the day before graduation, so that undergraduate members ceased to exist” (Current, 1990, p. 60). The constitution was even altered to fit this example. The faculty looked at grades as being the most important, while still considering character and scholarship.

By the time the thought of uniting the chapters was brought to light, both the chapter at the College of William and Mary and the Yale chapter had vanished.  Many of the other chapters were losing their drive. Something was needed to “breathe new life into the venerable institution” (Current, 1990, p. 87). The best way to do this would be to bring all the organizations together.

The chapter at Columbia University was the first to bring up a plan for an alumni association. It was looked at as a way to make “the Society more useful to its members” (Current, 1990, p. 88). The [Phi Beta Kappa] Alumni in New York was created by graduates from different institutions creating a constitution. This association set the precedence for other alumni associations of Phi Beta Kappa.

The idea of creating a national convention for Phi Beta Kappa was nothing new to the organization.  The Amherst chapter was bringing it up as early as 1858. They suggested “a general convention of the branches of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, for the purpose of forming a more compact organization,” and to request that each branch appoint a delegate” (Current, 1990, p. 88). Francis Philip Nash, a former Latin professor at Hobart College, was the main catalyst for finally creating a national convention, as well as a national council.

Harvard was the first to provide the necessary steps for a convention,

At the 1880 meeting—the Harvard men drafted up a constitutional amendment to define and limit the chartering power—they also appointed a committee “to arrange a convention of all chapters of the Fraternity,” where they could propose the amendment along with other constitutional reforms. (Current, 1990, p. 88)

The Harvard chapter had their hundredth anniversary coming up on June 30th, 1881. This chapter was also the oldest active chapter. These two circumstances gave them the right to host the first convention for the society.

           In attendance at this convention were chapters from a dozen institutions including: Amherst, Bowdoin, Brown, CCNY, Dartmouth, Hamilton, Hobart, New York University, Vermont, and of course Harvard, as they were the hosting chapter. This outcome equaled fifty-six delegates. On top of the already assigned agenda of the convention, Professor Nash brought up a new proposition that would change the way the society operated:

           Resolved, That this Convention do hereby earnestly recommend to all chapters of Phi Beta Kappa Society to choose delegates to the number of three for each chapter to meet together at…, on the… day of …, 1881, and from day to day thereafter, who when thus assembled shall constitute the National Council of the Phi Beta Kappa Society and shall have power to express the opinion and sentiment of the Society upon all such questions as may from time to time be presented to said Council for consideration. (Current, 1990, p. 90)

This was the beginning of the National Council, “the nucleus of the national organization” (Current, 1990, p. 90). To work in tandem with Professor Nash’s proposal, Professor John A. De Remer of Union College “suggested a committee of one member from every chapter to meet at the University of the City of New York on October 18, 1881” (Current, 1990, p. 90 ). With this new addition, the amendment passed.

           The second Convention meeting happened on September 6th, 1882 in Saratoga Springs. Twenty-eight delegates from fifteen chapters attended, but only seven of those delegates actually had the power to vote. Two other delegates only had the power to vote if there were amendments being added. For the constitution to go into effect, a minimum of twelve chapters were necessary. Because of this, the constitution could not go into effect, which delayed the delegates the opportunity to become members of the National Council. Those present were able to alter some present matters the society was dealing with, resulting in the number needed to ratify changing from twelve to fourteen. Eventually, all the chapters voted in agreeance and delegates were able to start electing members to the Senate. They also elected Charles W. Eliot, the president of Harvard University, the president of the society.

The first meeting on October 18th of the Nation Council had a slow start. The minutes of that day stated that sixteen members were present, but five chapters were not represented. These chapters not present were Amherst, University of Alabama, Madison University, University of Mississippi, and Western Reserve. Unfortunately, there were some issues with those minutes. They completely overlooked the chapters at Kenyon and Marietta. The Western Reserve chapter was inactive. The chapter at Alabama was dead. And there had never been a chapter as Mississippi. The National Council already had many new changes being brought to light.

It was at this meeting that the National Council finally received the official title of “National Council”. This was also the meeting where the National Council voted upon a “Constitution of the National Council of the Phi Beta Kappa Society” (Current, 1990, p. 93).  This plan proposed that the National Council meet every three years. It also proposed a Senate to act along with the National Council. The Senate, which would include twenty members from the whole society, would be chosen by the National Council. They would serve six-year terms which would be staggered. This would allow for ten senators to “be elected every three years” (Current, 1990, p. 93). The National Council would also choose a president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer from among those chosen for the Senate.

Because the Senate was such vital part of the National Council, they acquired much of the power while the Council was not in session. It was the Senate’s responsibility to represent Phi Beta Kappa. The Senate was given the ability to grant charters, and even present constitutions to new chapters.

The Senate met again on January 8, 1887. This was the meeting where John A. De Remer “arrived with the draft model of a charter. The Senate quickly adopted it and immediately use it in authorizing a new chapter” (Current, 1990, p. 95).  It was around this time that the term “United Chapters” appeared on an official document. Though no one actually agree on this term to encompass the whole organization, it was not denied. The Senate just approved the charter form that De Remer had created. This same charter that had the term “United Chapters” on it.

By the early 1900s, many of the chapters were dispersed across the United States. Figuring out which college or university deserved the next chapter of Phi Beta Kappa became a question around this time. The National Council was able to come up with some solutions that helped the organization figure out which institutions would be the best options for new chapters.

A new bylaw that was adopted by the 1922 Council laid out the rules for selection of institutions. It started off by dividing the United States into five different districts. The chapters within these districts “would constitute a “district unit or conference”’ (Current, 1990, p. 142). These conferences had the opportunity to nominate up to three institutions every three years from the district. From those nominated institutions, the Senate would “select the ones it deemed “most worthy of immediate consideration,” would “encourage from them applications,” and would transmit these to the Council for approval or disapproval” (Current, 1990, p. 142). The districts were divided into North Atlantic, South Atlantic, North Central, South Central, and Western. With the amount of difference between these districts, many chapters were dissatisfied with this system which caused its demise in 1931.

The Committee on Qualifications was created after the idea of districts fell short. The role of this committee was to “investigate and select institutions to recommend for charters” (Current, 1990, p. 144). This committee included six members serving staggered six-year terms. The committee would “request a preliminary statement from each of the inquiring colleges” (Current, 1990, p. 144). The Committee would then visit the institutions with promise and study them to see if they would make a good fit. Those that would make a good fit were sent to the district conferences for their input.

Some chapters began to fear that a centralized control of the organization was coming.  The last thing the Council wanted to do was take more power away from the individual chapters. But the Committee work was interrupted with the war in 1942.