Elihu (secret society)

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Elihu is the fourth oldest senior society at Yale University. It was founded in 1903 by members of Skull and Bones, Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head. While similar to these three in charter and function, Elihu favors privacy over overt secrecy, which the founding members believed less offensive to late 19th century sensibilities. To this end, it is the only senior society whose building, at 175 Elm Street, has windows, although they are shaded. It is historically among the most left-wing and egalitarian of the current senior societies. It is named for Elihu Yale, one of the University's major benefactors.

The club's three-story white clapboard house is the oldest of all society buildings. Its brick basement is older still, constructed in the early 1600s as the Tory Tavern, a central locale of the Revolutionary War. It is one of the oldest original structures in the United States still in regular use.

Sixteen men and women are tapped during their junior year for their academic, athletic, or extra curricular excellence and commitment to public service. Members formally meet for dinner on Thursday and Sunday nights of their senior year. While the program is varied, it centers largely on the sharing of intimate life histories, with one evening of the week devoted to each member.

Famous graduates include Senator Joseph Lieberman, author Paul Monette and philanthropist Sir John Templeton.

See also

• Elihu

External links

• [Secret societies: tombs and tradition]
• [Eager juniors await secret society taps]
• [How the Secret Societies Got That Way]

 

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