Lincoln's Inn Society
| Lincoln's Inn Society | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1907 Harvard Law School |
| Type | Social club |
| Former Affiliation |
|
| Status | Merged |
| Emphasis | Law |
| Scope | Local |
| Members | 3,200+ lifetime |
| Headquarters | 44 Follen Street Cambridge, Massachusetts United States |
Lincoln's Inn Society was a social club based at Harvard Law School, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was originally known as Choate Inn of the of Phi Delta Phi. It became a private club when the Harvard faculty voted to ban all fraternities in 1907. Lincoln's Inn Society merged with HL Central in 2007, following declining membership and a lack of funds.
History
[edit]The Lincoln's Inn Society was founded in 1907 by three Harvard Law School students who hoped to find a social organization to provide some relief from the stress of law school. It was originally the Coate Inn of Phi Delta Phi, a legal fraternity that calls its chapters "inns".
Lincoln Inn became a private club when the Harvard faculty voted to ban all fraternities in 1907. The Inn was a student-run and student-owned club, operating beyond university regulation. Lincoln's Inn membership was originally male only but later admitted women.
The society was originally a dinner club and eventually operated as a social and drinking club.[1] The Inn's flagship event was the annual Winter Dinner, a tradition started around 1918.[1] By 1991, some alumni noted that the drinking club was a "defacto speakeasy", baring similarities to the film Animal House.[2]
By 2006, the society's membership had declined, including only fifty students instead of the usual 100 members.[3] As a result, the society was challenged to maintain its house, opting to close its doors to reevaluation its financial status.[3]
In March 2007, Lincoln's Inn Society merged with HL Central, a for-profit organization formed in 1999.[1] However, the society announced that this was only for administrative purposes.[3] Plans were to renovate the society's house and reopen it; however, it was close to foreclosure in 2009 and was sold for $1.1 million.[3] Following this, the society ceased to operate. The Lincoln Inn Society initiated some 3,200 members throughout its history.
Symbols
[edit]The Lincoln Inn's was named for the Lincoln's Inn in London, which is one of the four Inns of Court where English barristers are based.[3]
Property
[edit]The Inn's house was a historic three-story Victorian house across the street from the Law School campus at 44 Follen Street.[1][3] It was in the architectural style of Charles Addams.[2] The society purchased the house in 1947.[2] It was sold in 2009.[3]
Notable members
[edit]Academia
[edit]- Roger Fisher '48 — Professor at Harvard Law School, Author of "Getting to Yes"
- John H. Langbein '68 — Professor at Yale Law School
- Charles Nesson '63 — Professor at Harvard Law School
Business
[edit]- Victor F. Ganzi '71 — President and CEO of the Hearst Corporation
- Laurance Rockefeller — Financier and philanthropist
Judiciary
[edit]- William J. Brennan Jr. — Associate Justice of the Supreme Court[2]
- Stephen Breyer '64 — Associate Justice of the Supreme Court
- Neil Gorsuch — Associate Justice of the Supreme Court[4]
- Anthony Kennedy '61 — Associate Justice of the Supreme Court
- Laurence Silberman '61 – Senior Judge, United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- David Souter '66 — Associate Justice of the Supreme Court[2]
Law
[edit]- Robert Joffe '67 — Former Presiding Partner of Cravath Swaine & Moore
Politics
[edit]- Joseph Califano '55 — Former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare
- Jim Cooper '80 — U.S. Congressman from Tennessee
- Bob Graham '62 — Former U.S. Senator from Florida
- Ken Mehlman '91 — Chairman of the Republican National Committee
- Larry Pressler '71 — Former U.S. Senator from South Dakota
- Clark T. Randt Jr. '74 — U.S. Ambassador to China
- Jack Reed '82 — U.S. Senator from Rhode Island
- Pat Schroeder — United States House of Representatives[2]
- Ted Stevens '50 — U.S. Senator from Alaska
- Bill Weld — 68th Governor of Massachusetts[2]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "HLS 'Drinking Club' Goes Sober – News – The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g Margolick, David. "To Harvard Neighbors, A Once-Venerable Club Is Now Affront to Law". The New York Times. p. B8. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
- ^ a b c d e f g "A House Called Lincoln's Inn". The Harvard Law Record. April 4, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
- ^ Stern, Seth. "Judicial Temperament". Harvard Law School. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
External links
[edit]- Lincoln's Inn blog (last update in 2007)