Sigma Phi

Founded| March 4, 1827; 195 years ago (March 4, 1827)
Union College
Type| Secret/Social
Affiliation| NIC
Scope| United States
Motto| esto perpetua
Maxim| EPV/MBW
Colors|  Azure Argent
Publication| The Flame
Chapters| 6
Headquarters| P.O. Box 57417
Tucson, AZ 85732-7417
United States
Website| www.sigmaphi.org

The Sigma Phi Society (ΣΦ) was founded in 1827 at Union College. It was the second Greek fraternal organization founded in the United States and the first to establish a chapter at another college, making it the first national Greek organization.[1] Sigma Phi is a member of the North American Interfraternity Conference.

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Symbols
* 3 Chapters
* 3.1 Notes
* 4 Chapter houses
* 5 Notable alumni
* 6 See also
* 7 References

## History[edit]

The Sigma Phi Society (ΣΦ) was founded on March 4, 1827, on the campus of Union College as a part of the Union Triad in Schenectady, New York. Its founders were Samuel W. Beall, Thomas Fielder Bowie, Rev. R. H. Chapman, Hon. Charles T. Cromwell, George N, Porter, and Hon. Charles N. Rowley.[2]

The Alpha chapter of Sigma Phi at Union College has been in continuous operation since its founding, making it the oldest continuously running fraternity chapter in the United States.[3]

In 1831, Beta of New York was established at Hamilton College, making the society the first Greek fraternal organization in the United States to establish a chapter at another college. Thus, Sigma Phi Society is the first National Greek Organization in the United States.

The practices and rituals of the Sigma Phi Society are relatively unknown due to its establishment, and continued consideration, as a secret society.[1]

Sigma Phi is a member of the North American Interfraternity Conference.

## Symbols[edit]

The Sigma Phi badge is a monogram with a jeweled Σ directly over a Φ that is either plain or chased.[2] It was designed by Charles N. Rowley, founder of the Beta of New York chapter.[4] In 1879, Baird's stated that the badge was royal purple.[2]

## Chapters[edit]

Chapters of Sigma Phi, with active chapters indicated in bold and inactive chapters indicated in italic:[5]

Chapter  | Chartered/Range  | Institution  | Location  | Status  | Reference

|
|
|
|
|

Alpha of New York (U)  | March 4, 1827 | Union College | Schenectady, New York | Active  |
Beta of New York (H)  | 1831–2019  | Hamilton College | Clinton, New York | Inactive  | [a]
Alpha of Massachusetts (W)  | 1834–1968  | Williams College | Williamstown, Massachusetts | Inactive  |
Gamma of New York (N)  | March 4, 1836–March 4, 1848 | New York University | New York City, New York | Inactive  | [2]
Delta of New York (G)  | August 4, 1840–xxxx ?  | Hobart College | Geneva, New York | Inactive  | [b]
Alpha of Vermont (V)  | March 4, 1845 | University of Vermont | Burlington, Vermont | Active  |
Alpha of New Jersey (P)  | 1853–1858  | Princeton University | Princeton, New Jersey | Inactive  | [2][c]
Alpha of Michigan (M)  | 1858–2022  | University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, Michigan | Inactive  | [2][d][a]
Alpha of Pennsylvania (L)  | February 4, 1887–2002  | Lehigh University | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania | Inactive  |
Epsilon of New York (C)  | October 4, 1890 | Cornell University | Ithaca, New York | Active  |
Alpha of Wisconsin (F)  | October 31, 1908 | University of Wisconsin–Madison | Madison, Wisconsin | Active  |
Alpha of California (I)  | September 7, 1912 | University of California, Berkeley | Berkley, California | Active  | [a][e]
Alpha of Virginia (S)  | 1953  | University of Virginia | Charlottesville, Virginia | Active  |
Alpha of North Carolina (T)  | 2008–2019  | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | Inactive  |

### Notes[edit]

1. ^ a b c Attempted, with little success, to include women in the chapter's membership.
2. ^ Chapter suspended.
3. ^ Charter returned to the Convention of 1860 after the college banned fraternities.
4. ^ Charter revoked.
5. ^ Formed from the local social group La Junta Club.

Sigma Phi house at the University of Michigan, circa 1900

## Chapter houses[edit]

Some chapters own buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, such as the Thorsen House, owned by the Alpha of California chapter in Berkeley and designed by Greene and Greene.[1] The Alpha of Wisconsin chapter house is the Harold C. Bradley House, a National Historic Landmark designed in 1908 by Louis Sullivan.[6]

## Notable alumni[edit]

* Tully Banta-Cain – professional football player with the New England Patriots
* Samuel W. Beall – Sigma Phi Society founder and Lt. Governor of Wisconsin[2][7]
* George Grenville Benedict – American Civil War hero and Medal of Honor recipient[5]
* John Bigelow – diplomat to France and U.S. Secretary of State[5][2]
* Douglass Boardman \- American jurist and lawyer who served on the Supreme Court of New York and as Dean of Cornell Law School[7]
* Thomas Fielder Bowie – founding member of Sigma Phi and United States Congressman[5]
* Daniel Butterfield – composer of Taps bugle call, Civil War general, and Assistant Treasurer of the United States[5][2]
* William W. Campbell \- United States Congressman from New York[7]
* Clark B. Cochrane \- United States Congressman from New York[7]
* John Cochrane – United States Congressman from New York, Attorney General of New York, and Brigadier General in the Civil War[5][2]
* Orasmus Cole \- United States Congressman from Wisconsin[7]
* George F. Comstock – Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals[2]
* Thomas Treadwell Davis \- United States Congressman from New York[7]
* J. Patrick Doyle – former CEO of Domino's Pizza
* Ken Dryden – former professional hockey player, Hockey Hall of Fame, Canadian Member of Parliament
* Edwin Einstein \- United States Congressman from New York[7]
* Nat Faxon – actor, comedian, and Academy Award-winning screenwriter
* Charles Folger \- United States Secretary of the Treasury (1881-1884)[7]
* Seth Flowerman – entrepreneur, CEO of PLT Health Solutions
* A. Oakey Hall – former Mayor of New York[2]
* John F. Hartranft – former Governor of Pennsylvania[7]
* John T. Hoffman – former Governor of New York[7]
* Leonard Jerome \- American financier in Brooklyn, New York, and the maternal grandfather of Winston Churchill.[7]
* John James Ingalls \- United States Senator from Kansas (1873-1891)[7]
* Hastings Keith – United States Congressman from Massachusetts
* Charles F. Knight – chairman and CEO of Emerson Electric
* George William Knox \- Missionary in Japan, Author and Theologian[5]
* John Jay Knox \- Comptroller of the Currency of the United States[5]
* Samuel Knox \- United States Congressman from Missouri[7]
* Addison H. Laflin \- United States Congressman from New York[7]
* James M. Loree – CEO of Stanley Black & Decker
* Truman A. Merriman \- United States Congressman from New York[7]
* Joseph Mullin \- United States Congressman from New York[7]
* Charlie Munger – vice-chairman of Berkshire Hathaway[8]
* Arthur C. Nielsen – creator of Nielsen ratings
* Thomas Nelson \- Second Chief Justice of Oregon Territory.[9]
* James Noxon \- New York Politician and member New York Supreme Court.[7]
* Abram B. Olin \- United States Congressmanfrom New York and an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia[7]
* Andrew Oliver \- United States Congressman from New York[7]
* Peter Busch Orthwein – founder and chairman of Thor Industries
* Todd Parent – founder and CEO of Extreme Pizza[10][11]
* Bradford Perkins – architect and founder of Perkins Eastman Architects
* Howard Potter \- American industrialist, investment banker, diplomat and philanthropist, and a partner in Brown Bros. & Co.[7]
* Daniel Pratt \- New York State Attorney General, New York State Supreme Count Justice, New York State of Appeals Justice
* Henry Rathbone – prominent in the U.S. Army, present in Lincoln's booth at Ford's Theatre; was stabbed tackling John Wilkes Booth[5]
* Sen. Elihu Root – U.S. Secretary of War, U.S. Secretary of State, Nobel Peace Prize Winner, and U.S. Senator[5][12][7]
* Enoch Rosekrans \- Judge of the New York Court of Appeals[7]
* Oren Root II \- Educator and Theologian[5]
* Lewis Sayre \- leading American orthopedic surgeon of the 19th century and president of the American Medical Association[7]
* Charles B. Sedgwick \- United States Congressman from New York[7]
* James Schoolcraft Sherman – Vice President of the United States and United States Congressman from New York[5][7]
* Larry Tanenbaum – chairman of MLSE, owner of the Toronto Raptors and Toronto Maple Leafs
* Anson J. Upson \- Chancellor of the Regents of the University of the State of New York[5]
* Gilbert Carlton Walker, Governor of Virginia 1869-1874, United States Congressman from Virginia[5][7]
* Jay Walker – founder of Priceline.com
* Mansfield Tracy Walworth – author[2]
* Earl Warren – Chief Justice of the United States, Governor of California[5]
* Ward Wettlaufer – amateur golfer
* Andrew Dickson White – co-founder and first president of Cornell University, U.S. Ambassador to Germany[2]
* William Dwight Whitney – linguist, professor at Yale University, and first president of the American Philological Association
* Philip Will Jr. – architect, co-founder of architecture firm Perkins+Will, and president of the American Institute of Architects
* George Worthington \- second bishop of Nebraska in the Episcopal Church[7]

## See also[edit]

* Triad (fraternities)
* List of social fraternities and sororities

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Home". Sigma Phi Society. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Baird, William Raimond (1879). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities.
3. ^ "What's The Oldest Continually-Running Fraternity Chapter In America?". Total Frat Move. Retrieved 2017-08-16.
4. ^ "Rowley, Charles N." 1829 - via Union College.
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Catalogue of the Sigma Phi: E.P.V. at Google Books
6. ^ "Our house - Wisc". Sigma Phi Society. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa Greek Letter Men of New York p. 98
8. ^ La Roche, Julia (2013-02-13). "17 Fraternities With Top Wall Street Alumni". Business Insider. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
9. ^ JSTOR 20611757
10. ^ "Todd Parent, Of Extreme Pizza, Takes Pizza To Extremes". Restaurant Realty Company. 2006-06-30. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
11. ^ Landis, David (2022-01-27). "Making Pizza Extreme". San Francisco Bay Times. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
12. ^ Jessup, Philip C., Elihu Root. Vol. I, 1845-1909; Vol. II, 1905-1937. New York, Dodd, Mead, 1938.

* v
* t
* e

Fraternities and sororities

Academic fraternities originating from North America

General|

* Colony
* North American fraternity and sorority housing
* Stepping
* U.S. racism
* Hazing in Greek letter organizations
* U.S. deaths
* Philippines deaths
* Mother of Fraternities

History|

* Fraternities and sororities
* North America
* High school
* Professional
* Service
* Canada
* Lists by country/territory
* France
* Philippines
* Puerto Rico

Historically
African-American|

* ΑΚΑ
* ΑΦΑ
* ΔΣΘ
* ΖΦΒ
* ΙΦΘ
* ΚΑΨ
* ΣΓΡ
* ΦΒΣ
* ΦΡΗ
* ΩΨΦ

Historically
Asian/Pacific Islander-American|

* αΚΔΦ
* ΑΦΓ
* ΒΧΘ
* ΔΕΨ
* ΔΚΔ
* ΔΦΩ
* ΙΝΔ
* ΚΦΛ
* ΛΦΕ
* ΠΑΦ
* ΠΔΨ
* ΣΒΡ
* ΣΟΠ
* ΣΨΖ
* ΣΦΩ

Christian
fraternities and sororities|

* ΑΔΓ
* ΑΔΧ
* ΑΓΩ
* ΑΛΩ
* ΒΕΓΓΑΡΣ
* ΒΣΨ
* ΒΥΧ
* ΣΑΩ
* ΣΘΕ
* ΣΦΛ
* ΦΒΧ
* ΧΑΩ

Historically Jewish|

* ΑΕΠ
* ΑΕΦ
* ΖΒΤ
* ΣΑΕΠ
* ΣΑΜ
* ΣΔΤ
* ΤΔΦ
* ΤΕΦ

Multicultural|

* ΔΞΝ
* ΔΞΦ
* ΓΗ
* ΖΣΧ
* ΖΦΡ
* ΖΧΦ
* ΘΝΞ
* ΛΤΩ
* ΛΨΔ
* ΜΣΥ
* ΣΛΓ
* ΤΦΣ
* ΨΣΦ
* ΩΔΦ
* ΩΦΧ
* Delphic

Historically Scout-affiliated|

* ΑΦΩ
* ΕΤΠ
* ΓΣΣ
* ΩΦΑ

LGBTQ|

* ΑΛΖ
* ΑΠΔ
* ΔΛΦ
* ΓΡΛ
* ΘΠΣ
* ΚΑΛ
* ΚΘΕ
* ΟΕΠ
* ΣΦΒ

Native American|

* ΑΠΩ
* ΦΣΝ
* ΣΟΕ

Latino and Puerto Rican|

* ΑΨΛ
* ΔΤΛ
* ΓΑΩ
* ΓΖΑ
* ΗΓΔ
* ΚΔΧ
* ΛΑΥ
* ΛΠΥ
* ΛΠΧ
* ΛΣΥ
* ΛΘΑ
* ΛΘΝ
* ΛΘΦ
* ΛΥΛ
* ΜΑΦ
* ΝΑΚ
* ΝΣΒ
* ΣΔΑ
* ΣΙΑ
* ΣΛΑ
* ΣΛΒ
* ΣΛΥ
* ΣΠΑ
* ΦΔΓ
* ΦΗΜ
* ΦΙΑ
* ΦΣΑ
* ΧΥΣ
* ΩΦΒ

Major specific|

* ΑΓΡ
* ΑΓΣ
* ΑΚΨ
* ΑΣΚ
* ΑΩΕ
* ΔΣΠ
* ΚΚΨ
* ΣΑΙ
* ΤΒΣ
* ΦΣΓ
* ΦΣΡ
* Ceres
* FarmHouse
* Triangle

Social sororities|

* ΑΓΔ
* ΑΔΠ
* ΑΕΦ
* ΑΞΔ
* ΑΟΠ
* ΑΣΑ
* ΑΣΤ
* ΑΦ
* ΑΧΩ
* ΓΦΒ
* ΔΔΔ
* ΔΓ
* ΔΖ
* ΔΦΕ
* ΖΤΑ
* ΘΦΑ
* ΚΑΘ
* ΚΒΓ
* ΚΔ
* ΚΚΓ
* ΠΒΦ
* ΣΔΤ
* ΣΚ
* ΣΣΣ
* ΣΨ
* ΦΜ
* ΦΣΣ
* ΧΩ
* Clovia

Social fraternities|

* ΑΔΦ
* ΑΚΛ
* ΑΣΦ
* ΑΤΩ
* ΑΦΔ
* ΑΧΑ
* ΑΧΡ
* ΒΘΠ
* ΔΚΕ
* ΔΣΦ
* ΔΤΔ
* ΔΥ
* ΔΦ
* ΔΧ
* ΔΩΕ
* ΖΨ
* ΘΔΧ
* ΘΞ
* ΘΧ
* ΚΑ Order
* ΚΑ Society
* ΚΔΡ
* ΚΔΦ
* ΚΛΨ
* ΚΣ
* ΛΧΑ
* ΠΚΑ
* ΠΚΦ
* ΠΛΦ
* ΣΑΕ
* ΣΔΑ
* ΣΘΠ
* ΣΝ
* ΣΠ
* ΣΤΓ
* ΣΦ
* ΣΦΔ
* ΣΦΕ
* ΣΧ
* ΤΚΕ
* ΦΓΔ
* ΦΔΘ
* ΦΔΨ
* ΦΚΘ
* ΦΚΣ
* ΦΚΤ
* ΦΚΨ
* ΦΛΧ
* ΦΜΑ Sinfonia
* ΦΜΔ
* ΦΣΚ
* ΦΣΦ
* ΧΓΕ
* ΧΦ
* ΧΨ
* ΨΥ
* Acacia

See also|

* Freemasonry
* Odd Fellows
* Gentlemen's club
* Secret society

* v
* t
* e

North American Interfraternity Conference

Currently active members of the NIC|

* Acacia
* ΑΓΡ
* ΑΓΣ
* ΑΔΓ
* ΑΔΦ
* ΑΕΠ
* ΑΚΛ
* ΑΣΦ
* ΑΤΩ
* ΑΦΑ
* ΑΦΔ
* ΑΧΡ
* ΒΣΨ
* ΒΘΠ
* ΒΧΘ
* ΒΥΧ
* ΔΚΕ
* ΔΛΦ
* ΔΣΦ
* ΔΤΔ
* ΔΥ
* ΔΦ
* ΔΧ
* FarmHouse
* ΖΒΤ
* ΖΨ
* ΘΔΧ
* ΘΞ
* ΙΝΔ
* ΙΦΘ
* ΚΑ Society
* ΚΑΨ
* ΚΔΡ
* ΚΔΦ
* ΛΘΦ
* ΛΣΥ
* ΛΦΕ
* ΝΑΚ
* ΠΚΑ
* ΠΚΦ
* ΠΛΦ
* ΣΑΕ
* ΣΑΜ
* ΣΒΡ
* ΣΛΒ
* ΣΝ
* ΣΠ
* ΣΤΓ
* ΣΦ
* ΣΧ
* ΤΔΦ
* ΤΕΦ
* ΤΦΣ
* Triangle
* ΦΒΣ
* ΦΓΔ(FIJI)
* ΦΙΑ
* ΦΚΘ
* ΦΚΣ
* ΦΚΤ
* ΦΚΨ
* ΦΛΧ
* ΦΜΔ
* ΦΣΚ
* ΦΣΦ
* ΧΦ
* ΧΨ
* ΨΥ
* ΩΔΦ

Active former members of the NIC|

* ΔΕΨ
* ΔΨ
* ΚΑ Order
* ΚΣ
* ΛΧΑ
* ΦΔΘ
* ΣΦΔ
* ΣΦΕ
* ΤΚΕ
* ΘΧ

Defunct former members of the NIC|

* ΑΚΠ
* ΑΛΤ
* ΒΚ
* ΒΣΡ
* ΔΑΠ
* ΔΣΛ
* ΘΚΝ
* ΘΚΦ
* ΘΥΩ
* ΚΝ
* ΟΑΤ
* ΣΔΡ
* ΣΛΠ
* ΣΜΣ
* ΣΤΦ
* ΦΑ
* ΦΒΔ
* ΦΕΠ
* ΦΚ
* ΦΛΘ
* ΦΠΦ
* ΦΣΔ
* ΦΣΕ

Authority control |

* VIAF
* 1
* WorldCat

|

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