Delta Phi

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Delta Phi (ΔΦ)
Founded	November 17, 1827 (1827-11-17) (age 180) Union College
Type	Social
Scope	National
Motto	"Semper Ubique"
Symbol	The Maltese Cross
Chapters	14 Active Chapters
Headquarters	P.O. Box 81521 Athens, Georgia, USA
Homepage	http://www.deltaphi.org

Delta Phi (ΔΦ) is a fraternity founded in 1827 at Union College in Schenectady, New York. Founded as part of the Union Triad, along with the Kappa Alpha Society and Sigma Phi Society, Delta Phi was the third and last member of the Triad.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Delta Phi Today 2 Founders 3 Active Chapters 4 Inactive Chapters 5 Notable Alumni 6 External links

[edit] History

Delta Phi and the other fraternities of the Union Triad were established during a time of strong anti-Masonic sentiment in America. This sentiment also spilled over to fraternities, which at the time were secret societies. This led Phi Beta Kappa, known as the Greek letter fraternity, to abandon secrecy and become an honor society.

In the early 1830s, Dr. Eliphalet Nott, president of Union College, called for the dissolution of all fraternities. His desire, however, was never granted.

In defense of the fraternities, John Jay Hyde, a member of Delta Phi, argued the benefits of the fraternity system so convincingly that Dr. Nott relented and permitted the organizations to remain in existence. In addition, Hyde designed the fraternity badge which is based on the Maltese Cross, a symbol also used by the Knights of Malta.

It is because of this shared symbol that Delta Phi is also known as "The St. Elmo Club," a name first used by the Omicron chapter at Yale University. The brothers there used the name of St. Elmo, the patron saint of mariners and the Knights of Malta. Some of Delta Phi's chapter houses are also known as "St. Elmo's Hall."

[edit] Delta Phi Today

Delta Phi remains a small fraternity, with only fourteen active chapters and few chapters with many members. It has resisted the urge to expand, in order to create an "intimate, personal experience" [1] for its members. The chapters of Delta Phi are all located in close proximity to one another. Its current expansion policy is to reactivate its dormant chapters. [2] As a member of the Union triad, Delta Phi is the third oldest fraternity in the United States. It is also the oldest continuously active fraternity as the other two triad members went underground temporarily during the regime of Dr. Eliphalet Nott. The Beta chapter at Brown University is the oldest active chapter.

[edit] Founders

• Benjamin Burroughs, Presbyterian Minister from Savannah, Georgia
• William Hun Fondey, Attorney from Albany, New York
• Samuel Lewis Lamberson, Presbyterian Minister from Jamaica, New York
• Samuel C. Lawrison, United States Navy Surgeon from Pensacola, Florida
• David Hervey Little, New York Supreme Court Justice from Rochester, New York
• Thomas Clark McLaury, Clergyman from Lisbon, New York
• John Mason, Clergyman from Jamaica, New York
• Joseph Griffiths Masten, Mayor of Buffalo from Buffalo, New York
• William Wilson, President of College of Cincinnati from Ireland

[edit] Active Chapters

• Beta - Brown University - Providence, RI - 1838
• Gamma - New York University- New York, NY - 1841
• Epsilon - Rutgers University- New Brunswick, NJ - 1845
• Eta - University of Pennsylvania - Philadelphia, PA - 1849
• Lambda - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - Troy, NY - 1864
• Nu - Lehigh University - Bethlehem, PA - 1884
• Xi - Johns Hopkins University - Baltimore, MD - 1885
• Pi - Cornell University - Ithaca, NY - 1891
• Rho - University of Virginia - Charlottesville, VA - 1908
• Tau - University of Illinois - Champaign, IL - 1920-1990 (reactivated 1991)
• Phi - Kenyon College - Gambier, OH - 1940
• Chi - Hamilton College - Clinton, NY - 1950
• Omega - University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh, PA - 1968
• Omega Alpha - College of William and Mary - Williamsburg, VA - 1987

[edit] Inactive Chapters

Alpha 1827 - 1999 Union College Schenectady, New York

Delta 1842 - 2001 Columbia University New York, New York

Zeta 1845 - 1901 Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts

Theta 1854 - 1877 Princeton University Princeton, New Jersey

Iota 1855 - 1936 University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan

Kappa 1855 - 1861 University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Mu 1874 - 1876 Colgate University Hamilton, New York

Omicron 1889 - 1925 Yale University New Haven, Connecticut

Sigma 1917 - 2001 Trinity College Hartford, Connecticut

Upsilon 1926 - 1965 Williams College Williamstown, Massachusetts

Psi 1960 - 2007 Pennsylvania State University State College, Pennsylvania

Omega Beta 1994 - 2001 Wabash College Crawfordsville, Indiana

[edit] Notable Alumni

• John Jay Hyde - Α
• George Low - Λ
• Garret A. Hobart- E - Vice-President of the United States under McKinley
• George C. Ludlow- E - Governor of New Jersey
• Paolo Montalbán - E - Actor of stage and screen
• Maj. Gen. George Henry Sharpe - E - Civil War spymaster
• Howard Crosby - Γ - Famous Preacher and Chancellor of NYU
• Edgar Fawcett (1847 - 1904) - Δ - American novelist and poet.]].[3]
• The Harper Brothers - Δ - Founders of Harper & Brothers publishing group
• John Pierpont Morgan, Jr. - Ζ - Noted financier, founder of JP Morgan Bank and Morgan Stanley
• John Jacob Astor IV - Ζ - noted industrialist and philanthropist
• James Roosevelt - Ζ - General, congressman, son of Franklin D. Roosevelt
• Halsey Minor - Ρ - Co-founder and former CEO, CNET Inc.
• Marvin Bush - Ρ - George W. Bush's younger brother
• George Jung - N - Extraordinary member of Team Gator
• Stanley Forman Reed - Ρ - Associate Justice of the Supreme Court
• Charles Scribner - Θ - Founder of Charles Scribner's Sons publishing group
• Russell Wayne Baker - Ξ - Pulitzer Prize winning writer and former host of PBS show Masterpiece Theatre.
• Sullivan Ballou - B - author of famous Civil War love letter at the First Battle of Bull Run.
• George Santayana - Z - Spanish author and philosopher famous for noting that "those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it."
• George Will - Σ - Pulitzer Prize-winning conservative American newspaper columnist, journalist, and author.

[edit] External links

• National Website
• History of Epsilon (Daily Targum, 10/2005)

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