Delta Phi

Template:Short description Template:Infobox Fraternity Delta Phi () is a fraternal society established in Schenectady, New York, on November 17, 1827. Its first chapter was founded at Union College, and was the third and final member of the Union Triad. In 1879, William Raimond Baird's American College Fraternities characterized the fraternity's membership as being largely drawn from the old Knickerbocker families of New York and New Jersey.

As of 2024, the fraternity has ten active chapters on the East Coast of the United States, and also uses the names "St. Elmo," "St. Elmo Hall," and "Elmo" in reference to its relation to Erasmus of Formia, the patron saint of sailors, and the Knights of Malta.

History

Delta Phi was founded on November 17, 1827, at Union College by nine upperclassmen. Its founders were:

• 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
• John Mason, clergyman from Jamaica, New York
• Joseph Griffiths Masten, Mayor of Buffalo, New York
• Thomas Clark McLaury, clergyman from Lisbon, New York
• William Wilson, President of the College of Cincinnati from Ireland

Delta Phi and the other Union Triad fraternities were established during a time of strong Anti-Masonry sentiment in the United States and became targets of the Anti-Masonry movement. This led Phi Beta Kappa, the original fraternity, to abandon secrecy and become a strictly honor society.

In the early 1830s, Dr. Eliphalet Nott, president of Union College, called for the dissolution of all fraternities. Before this policy could be enacted, 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. Hyde went on to design the badge still worn by members of Delta Phi today, which includes a Maltese Cross, a symbol used by the Knights of Malta.

This connection to the Knights of Malta led Delta Phi to become known as "St. Elmo", a name first used by the Omicron chapter at Yale University, which since has transformed into a senior secret society known as St. Elmo Society that is no longer associated with Delta Phi. Beginning at some point shortly after the Omicron chapter's inception in 1889, the brothers there used the name of St. Elmo, the patron saint of mariners and the Knights of Malta. On some campuses, Delta Phi chapters are known almost exclusively as "St. Elmo," "St. Elmo Hall," or simply "Elmo." At Cornell University, the Delta Phi chapter is known as Llenroc, since that was the name of the mansion when it was the residence of Cornell University co-founder Ezra Cornell's

File:Delta Phi Badge.jpg

A Delta Phi badge

In 1838, the Beta chapter of Delta Phi was founded at Brown University and Delta Phi finally became a "national" fraternity. The Gamma chapter was established at New York University in 1841, followed by the Delta chapter at Columbia University in 1842, the Epsilon chapter at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1845, the Zeta chapter at Harvard University in 1845, which was reorganized in 1901 as the Delphic Club, one of Harvard's prestigious Final Clubs, and the Eta chapter at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 1849.

In 1844, Delta Phi held its first convention, only the second fraternity to have such a meeting and was held under the auspices of the Alpha chapter in Troy, New York. In 1847, it held its second convention in New York City and, seeing the growth in the organization, authorized the fraternity to undertake its first printed publication, a complete catalogue of the membership up to 1847.

Delta Phi left its base in the Northeast and expanded into what was then still the northwest of the young country, establishing the Iota chapter at University of Michigan in 1855 and the Kappa chapter at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill later the same year.

Delta Phi remains a small fraternity with ten active chapters and few chapters with more than a couple dozen members. It has resisted expansion in order to create an "intimate, personal experience" for its members. The fraternity's current expansion policy is to reactivate dormant chapters. As a member of the Union Triad, Delta Phi is the third oldest fraternity and the second oldest continuous fraternity in the United States.

Governance and organization

Owing mostly to its development in the early 19th century, Delta Phi organizes itself federally. Individual alumni chapters still exercise significant power over chapter governance. Those powers that are given in the national organization are vested in the Board of Governors. The board consists of one member appointed from each alumni chapter. Among the duties given to the board is hiring the executive director who oversees day-to-day management of the fraternity.

In addition to the national governing organization of the fraternity, Delta Phi alumni have also established the Saint Elmo Foundation which, among other things, sponsors the annual leadership weekend and provides scholarships to undergraduate members of Delta Phi.

Activities

Overall alumni participation among active chapters remains strong, with chapters hosting several social events throughout the year.

On or around November 17 of every year, the national organization sponsors the Founder's Day Dinner at the Saint Elmo Club where undergraduates and alumni celebrate the founding of the fraternity.

Chapters

These are the chapters of Delta Phi. Active chapters noted in bold, inactive chapters noted in italics. Two chapters have withdrawn from affiliation with the national fraternity, but remain active on their campuses; their dates of withdrawal are noted.

Name	Chartered	Institution	Location	Status	Notes	Reference
Alpha	Template:Dts–Template:Dts	Union College	Schenectady, NY	Inactive
Beta	Template:Dts–Template:Dts, Template:Dts–Template:Dts, Template:Dts–Template:Dts, Template:Dts–Template:Dts	Brown University	Providence, RI	Withdrew Template:Efn		Template:EfnTemplate:Efn
Gamma	Template:Dts–Template:Dts	New York University	New York, NY	Inactive
Delta	Template:Dts–Template:Dts	Columbia University	New York, NY	Inactive
Epsilon	Template:Dts–Template:Dts, 200x ?	Rutgers University	New Brunswick, NJ	Active		Template:Efn
Zeta	Template:Dts–Template:Dts, Template:Dts–Template:Dts	Harvard University	Cambridge, MA	Inactive	Now Delphic Club
Eta	Template:Dts–Template:Dts, Template:Dts	University of Pennsylvania	Philadelphia, PA	Active	Co-ed (Template:Dts)	Template:Efn
Theta	Template:Dts–Template:Dts	Princeton University	Princeton, NJ	Inactive
Iota	Template:Dts–Template:Dts, Template:Dts–Template:Dts	University of Michigan	Ann Arbor, MI	Inactive		Template:Efn
Kappa	Template:Dts–Template:Dts	University of North Carolina	Chapel Hill, NC	Inactive
Lambda	Template:Dts	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	Troy, NY	Active
Mu	Template:Dts–Template:Dts	Colgate University	Hamilton, NY	Inactive
Nu	Template:Dts–Template:Dts	Lehigh University	Bethlehem, PA	Inactive		Template:Efn
Xi	Template:Dts–Template:Dts, Template:Dts	Johns Hopkins University	Baltimore, MD	Active		Template:Efn
Omicron	Template:Dts–Template:Dts	Yale University	New Haven, CT	Withdrew		Template:Efn
Pi	Template:Dts–Template:Dts, Template:Dts	Cornell University	Ithaca, NY	Active
Rho	Template:Dts	University of Virginia	Charlottesville, VA	Active
Sigma	Template:Dts–Template:Dts, Template:Dts–Template:Dts	Trinity College	Hartford, CT	Inactive		Template:Efn
Tau	Template:Dts–Template:Dts	University of Illinois	Champaign, IL	Inactive		Template:Efn
Upsilon	Template:Dts–Template:Dts	Williams College	Williamstown, MA	Inactive Template:Efn		Template:EfnTemplate:Efn
Phi	Template:Dts–2020	Kenyon College	Gambier, OH	Withdrew		Template:Efn
Chi	Template:Dts	Hamilton College	Clinton, NY	Active		Template:Efn
Psi	Template:Dts–Template:Dts, Template:Dts–Template:Dts, Template:Dts	Pennsylvania State University	State College, PA	Active		Template:Efn
Omega	Template:Dts	University of Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh, PA	Active		Template:Efn
Omega Alpha	Template:Dts–Template:Dts	College of William and Mary	Williamsburg, VA	Inactive		Template:Efn
Omega Beta	Template:Dts–Template:Dts	Wabash College	Crawfordsville, IN	Inactive

Notable members

• John Jacob Astor IV - Ζ - industrialist and philanthropist
• Russell Wayne Baker - Ξ - Pulitzer Prize–winning writer; former host of PBS show Masterpiece Theatre
• Sullivan Ballou - Β - author of famous Civil War love letter at the First Battle of Bull Run
• John C. Bauerschmidt - Φ - Bishop of Middle Tennessee
• Marvin Bush - Ρ - George W. Bush's younger brother
• William P. Carey - H - founder of W. P. Carey & Co.; established the Carey Business School at Johns Hopkins University, the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, and the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University
• Howard Crosby - Γ - preacher; Chancellor of NYU
• Thomas B. Evans Jr. - P - US Congressman
• Edgar Fawcett (1847–1904) - Δ - novelist and poet
• The Harper Brothers - Δ - founders of Harper & Brothers publishing group
• Garret A. Hobart - E - Vice President of the United States under William McKinley
• Jay Jones (politician) - ΩΑ - Delegate for the 89th District of the Virginia House of Delegates
• George Low - Λ - NASA administrator and 14th President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• George C. Ludlow - E - Governor of New Jersey
• George Macready - Β - actor
• Halsey Minor - Ρ - co-founder and former CEO of CNET Inc.
• Paolo Montalban - E - actor of stage and screen
• John Pierpont Morgan Jr. - Ζ - financier; founder of JP Morgan Bank and Morgan Stanley
• Stanley Forman Reed - Ρ - Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
• Ned Rice - ΩΑ - General Manager of the Philadelphia Phillies
• Thomas Ridgway, U.S. Army officer and father of General Matthew Ridgway
• James Roosevelt - Ζ - General, congressman; son of Franklin D. Roosevelt
• George Santayana - Z - Spanish author and philosopher famous for noting that "those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it"
• Charles Scribner I - Θ - founder of Charles Scribner's Sons publishing group
• Maj. Gen. George Henry Sharpe - E - Civil War spymaster
• Wylie Tuttle - Δ - real estate developer responsible for the construction of the Tour Montparnasse in Paris
• Finn Wentworth N - businessman; COO and owner of New York Yankees; founder of YES Network; philanthropist
• George Will - Σ - Pulitzer Prize-winning conservative newspaper columnist, journalist, and author

See also

• List of social fraternities

External links

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