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Gamma Eta Gamma
ΓΗΓ
FoundedFebruary 25, 1901; 123 years ago (1901-02-25)
University of Maine School of Law
TypeProfessional
AffiliationIndependent
Former AffiliationPIC
StatusActive
EmphasisLaw
Scopenational
Colors  Red and   Black
SymbolLamp, Star, Fasces, Balance
PublicationThe Rescript
Chapters33 chartered, 1 active
Members~10,000 active
Headquarters1126 5th Street SE
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414
United States

Gamma Eta Gamma (ΓΗΓ) is a co-ed professional law fraternity that was a member of the Professional Fraternity Association.[1] Chapters are limited to law schools on the approved list of the American Bar Association.

History

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University of Minnesota Law School chapter house, 2014

Gamma Eta Gamma was founded on February 25, 1901, at the University of Maine School of Law as a law fraternity for men.[2] Its founders were Charles Vey Holman, Charles Hickson Reid Jr., and Harold Dudley Greeley.[3]

From the beginning, the fraternity exhorted its members to a high degree of personal and professional conduct. At its founding, the three men who established the Fraternity wrote in their handwriting into the preamble of its constitution:

"We the undersigned students of the Law School of the University of Maine, with a view of establishing on this and other schools of law, as well as in the general practice of the profession, an elevated standard of personal deportment, a high code of professional ethics and a broad and catholic development of mental culture and moral character do associate ourselves in the lasting bonds of a fraternal union under the name of Gamma Eta Gamma." [1]

Its officers were chancellor, proctor, judge, lictor, sheriff, quaestor, recorder, bailiff, and tipstave.[4] The pledge manual included chapters on how to study law effectively, a chapter on etiquette, and general fraternity information.

The Gamma Eta Gamma annual convention called a Witan, was first held on May 29, 1901.[3] Later, the convention shifted to a biennial basis, with province conferences held in off years. The Beta chapter was installed at the Boston University School of Law on May 24, 1902.[4]

Gamma Eta Gamma published a songbook in 1909 and 1915.[3] In 1912, the fraternity started publishing an annual called The Rescript; it became a semi-annual and, later, quarterly in 1920.[2][3] Also in 1912, the chapters at Albany and Cornell owned a chapter house, while the chapters at Boston, Creighton, and Indiana rented houses.[2]

By 1976 it had granted 33 charters with a national roster of over 7,000 initiates.[5] By 2017, there was one remaining active chapter, the University of Minnesota Law School in Minneapolis, which is coed.[6] It provides low-cost housing for law students in a Richardsonian Romanesque style house that was built in 1892.[6]

Traditions and insignia

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Founders' Day is generally held on the founding anniversary, February 25. However, some chapters celebrated the Prandium Cancellari on June 7, the date of the fraternity's first banquet in 1901.[3]

The fraternity's badge is a shield with a lamp, a star, and a Roman fasces or bundle, above the motto.[2] A triangle encloses the letter Π with Γ on both sides and below a balance.[2] The official badge contains 20 pearls surrounding the shield. The outgoing president or high chancellor is awarded a badge with a diamond border.

The pledge pin is a circular button, with the letters Γ Η Γ appearing in a circle on a red field, imposed on a triangle, with the rest of the button in black.[3] There is a fasces key, in gold, for alumni who graduated with a law degree, with the letters of the Fraternity name on the face of the key. The colors of the fraternity are red and black.[1][3]

Governance

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While the fraternity had multiple chapters, a council of twelve members called the Curia managed the fraternity between conventions.[1] The Curia consists of four elective executive officers and officials from the eight provinces of the fraternity. Eight of these twelve leaders were required to be alumni.[1]

Governance is now held by the University of Minnesota Law School chapter which operates as an informal, local fraternity.[6][5]

Chapters

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Following is a list of Gamma Eta Gamma chapters.[1] Inactive groups indicated by italics, the active chapter in bold.

Chapter Charter date and range Institution Location Status Reference
Alpha February 26, 1901 – 1910 University of Maine School of Law Portland, Maine Inactive [2][3][a]
Beta May 24, 1902 – 1917 Boston University School of Law Boston, Massachusetts Inactive [4][3][b]
Gamma February 20, 1904 – xxxx ? Albany Law School Albany, New York Inactive [7]
Delta 1908–1932 Syracuse University College of Law Syracuse, New York Inactive
Epsilon 1909–1918 Cornell Law School Ithaca, New York Inactive [3][b]
Zeta 1911–1929 University of Michigan Law School Ann Arbor, Michigan Inactive
Eta June 15, 1911 – xxxx ? Indiana University Maurer School of Law Bloomington, Indiana Inactive [8]
Theta April 10, 1912 – xxxx ? Creighton University School of Law Omaha, Nebraska Inactive [9][10][2][c]
Iota February 27, 1914 – xxxx ? Georgetown University Law Center Washington, D.C. Inactive [11]
Kappa 1915–1917 University of Oregon School of Law Eugene, Oregon Inactive [3][b]
Lambda 1919–xxxx ? Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law Chicago, Illinois Inactive
Mu 1919–xxxx ? University of Detroit Mercy School of Law Detroit, Michigan Inactive
Nu 1920–xxxx ? University of Chicago Law School Chicago, Illinois Inactive
Xi 1920–xxxx ? Fordham University School of Law Manhattan, New York City, New York Inactive [12]
Omicron 1920–xxxx ? University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law Baltimore, Maryland Inactive
Pi 1921–1931 University of Illinois College of Law Champaign, Illinois Inactive
Rho 1922–xxxx ? Ohio State University Moritz College of Law Columbus, Ohio Inactive
Sigma 1922–xxxx ? USC Gould School of Law Los Angeles, California Inactive
Tau 1922–1928 Vanderbilt University Nashville, Tennessee Inactive
Upsilon 1923–xxxx ? University of Wisconsin–Madison Madison, Wisconsin Inactive
Phi 1923–xxxx ? University of Iowa Iowa City, Iowa Inactive
Chi 1924 University of Minnesota Law School Minneapolis, Minnesota Active
Omega 1925–1929 Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis County, Missouri Inactive
Beta Gamma 1927–xxxx ? Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, North Carolina Inactive
Beta Delta 1929–xxxx ? Duke University Durham, North Carolina Inactive
Beta Epsilon 1930–xxxx ? Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, Louisiana Inactive
Beta Zeta 1930–1932 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, Ohio Inactive [13]
Beta Eta 1931–xxxx ? George Washington University Washington, D.C. Inactive
Beta Kappa 1931–xxxx ? Catholic University Washington, D.C. Inactive
Beta Theta 1931–xxxx ? Santa Clara University School of Law Santa Clara, California Inactive
Beta Mu 1934–xxxx ? DePaul University Chicago, Illinois Inactive
Beta Nu 1950–xxxx ? University of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia Inactive
  1. ^ Chapter's charter was withdrawn due to low membership at the University of Maine's law school, resulting in a loss of state funding.
  2. ^ a b c Chapter closed during World War I and was not reformed.
  3. ^ Chapter formed by absorbing the Bachelors Club.

Notable members

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Name Chapter Notability References
W. Russell Arrington Pi attorney, Illinois House of Representatives, and Illinois State Senate [14]
John L. Bates Alpha honorary Governor of Massachusetts, lawyer [15]
John B. Bennett attorney and United States House of Representatives [14]
Homer Bone attorney, U.S. Senator, United States circuit judge [14]
Thomas Leo Brown Beta Kappa politician and United States circuit judge [14]
Heriot Clarkson justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court [14]
Warren A. Cole Beta Businessman and lawyer [16][17]
Edward Matthew Curran United States district judge [14][18]
Joseph Dainow Beta Epsilon professor of law at Louisiana State University [19]
L. B. Day Theta justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court [14][20]
Lucilius A. Emery Alpha honorary justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court [21]
Michael Fansler justice of the Indiana Supreme Court [22][23]
George S. Fitzgerald Attorney and politician [14]
John H. Gillis judge [14]
Martin H. Glenn Gamma honorary Governor of New York [24]
William H. Hampton Delta lawyer, politician, and U.S. Commissioner [14]
Albert H. Henderson Epsilon lawyer, New York State Assembly, and Surrogate of Bronx County [25]
Sveinbjorn Johnson attorney general of North Dakota [14][26]
Harold LeVander Chi Governor of Minnesota [14]
Richard J. McCormick lawyer and Massachusetts State House of Representatives [14]
Francis M. McKeown lawyer and Massachusetts State Senate [14]
Frank Murphy Mu Lieutenant governor of Michigan [14]
Daniel J. O'Mara Delta New York State Assembly and Justice of New York Supreme Court [14][27]
Samuel E. Pingree Alpha honorary Governor of Vermont [28]
Harold M. Ryan Mu circuit judge, United States House of Representatives, and Michigan Senate [14]
Al Smith Gamma honorary Governor of New York [24]
James C. Soper Pi Illinois Senate [14]
Albert Spear Alpha honorary Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and president of the Maine Senate [29]
Harold Stassen Chi president of the University of Pennsylvania and governor of Minnesota [14]
Melvin D. Synhorst Iowa Secretary of State [14]
Amos Taylor Beta Attorneyf and politician [14][30]
Andrew P. Wiswell Alpha honorary justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court [29]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f William Raimond Baird (1991). Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities. Baird's Manual Foundation, Incorporated. pp. V–78–79.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities (7th ed.). G. Banta Company. 1912. pp. 418–420.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Baird, Wm Raimond; Brown, James Taylor (1923). Baird's manual of American college fraternities; a descriptive analysis of the fraternity system in the colleges of the United States, with a detailed account of each fraternity. New York: James T. Brown, editor and publisher. p. 507-508 – via Hathi Trust.
  4. ^ a b c "Jillison is Chancellor". Boston Post. 1902-05-24. p. 7. Retrieved 2023-04-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b York, Kenneth H. (1952). "Legal Fraternities" (PDF). Michigan Law Review. 50 (7). The Michigan Law Review Association: 1047–56. doi:10.2307/1284939. JSTOR 1284939. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  6. ^ a b c "Gamma Eta Gamma, University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, MN". LawCrossing.com. 2007-02-19. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  7. ^ "Gamma Chapter Legal Fraternity Instituted". Boston Post. 1904-02-21. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-04-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Law Fraternity Installed". The Indianapolis News. 1911-06-16. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  9. ^ "To Install Legal Frat". Evening World-Herald. Omaha, Nebraska. 1912-04-09. p. 7. Retrieved 2023-04-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "1914 Gamma Eta Gamma Legal Fraternity, Theta Chapter Members". Creighton University. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  11. ^ "Fraternity Chapter is Installed at G.U." The Washington Herald. Washington, D.C. 1914-02-28. p. 14. Retrieved 2023-04-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Arthur Studios, N.Y. (1924-01-01). "Portraits & Miscellaneous Photographs, Fraternity - Gamma Eta Gamma". Fordham Law Archive of Scholarship & History.
  13. ^ Baird, Wm Raimond; Brown, James Taylor (1923). Baird's manual of American college fraternities; a descriptive analysis of the fraternity system in the colleges of the United States, with a detailed account of each fraternity. New York: James T. Brown, editor and publisher. p. 507-508 – via Hathi Trust.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "The Political Graveyard: Gamma Eta Gamma Politicians". politicalgraveyard.com. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  15. ^ "Gov. Bates Honored". The Lewiston Daily Sun. Lewiston, Maine. 1904-01-23. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  16. ^ Bly, Betsy K., ed. (2000). The Paedagogus (48th ed.). Indianapolis: Lambda Chi Alpha. pp. 62, 64.
  17. ^ Levere, William C. (1915). Leading Greeks; an encyclopedia of the workers in the American college fraternities and sororities, 1915. Evanston, Ill. p. 58 – via Hathi Trust.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  18. ^ Schwarz, J. C. (1937). Who's who in Law. J.C. Schwarz. p. 219 – via Google Books.
  19. ^ "Joseph Dainow Papers". collections.americanjewisharchives.org. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  20. ^ Schwarz, J. C. (1937). Who's who in Law. J.C. Schwarz. p. 234 – via Google Books.
  21. ^ "Justice Emery is a Member: Elected an Honorary Member of Gamma Eta Gamma". The Bangor Daily News. Bangor, Maine. 1903-02-09. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-04-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ Schwarz, J. C. (1937). Who's who in Law. J.C. Schwarz. p. 297 – via Google Books.
  23. ^ Schwarz, J. C. (1937). Who's who in Law. J.C. Schwarz. p. 297 – via Google Books.
  24. ^ a b "Will Initiate Smith; Gamma Eta Gamma, to Which Son Belongs, Will Honor Governor" (PDF). The New York Times. May 1, 1924. p. 20. Retrieved 2023-04-01.
  25. ^ "A. H. Henderson Named Surrogate" (PDF). The New York Times. Vol. LXXIX, no. 26390. New York, N.Y. 26 April 1930. p. 4.
  26. ^ Schwarz, J. C. (1937). Who's who in Law. J.C. Schwarz. p. 489 – via Google Books.
  27. ^ "Obituary of Daniel J O'Mara". Democrat and Chronicle. 1973-01-10. p. 19. Retrieved 2023-04-01 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "Ex-Gov Samuel E. Pingree". Montpelier Evening Argus. Montpelier, Vermont. 1904-01-23. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-04-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ a b "Justice Spear a Member Now, Has Been Formally Admitted to Alpha Chapter, Gamma Eta Gamma". The Bangor Daily News. Bangor, Maine. 1903-11-12. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-04-02 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ Schwarz, J. C. (1937). Who's who in Law. J.C. Schwarz. p. 925 – via Google Books.
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