Phi Delta Phi

Phi Delta Phi (ΦΔΦ), commonly known as Phid or PDP, is an international legal honor society and the oldest legal organization in continuous existence in the United States. Founded in 1869 at the University of Michigan as a professional fraternity, it was designated as an honor society in 2012. It is considered among the world's most prestigious professional organizations.^{[citation needed]}

Phi Delta Phi
ΦΔΦ
Crest of Phi Delta Phi
Founded	December 13, 1869; 155 years ago (1869-12-13) University of Michigan Law School
Type	Honor society (formerly professional fraternity until 2012)
Affiliation	Independent
Former affiliation	PFA
Status	Active
Scope	International
Motto	"Friends of Justice and Wisdom"
Member badge
Colors	Garnet and   Pearl Blue
Symbol	Owl and Skull
Flower	Jacqueminot rose
Publication	The Brief
Chapters	131
Members	200,000+ lifetime
Headquarters	1426 21st Street NW Washington, D.C. 20036-5947 United States
Website	www.phideltaphi.org

Phi Delta Phi is organized by two branches: legal honor societies and pre-law societies. The legal honor societies, called Inns, are located at law schools. The pre-law societies, called Halls, are for undergraduate membership at U.S. colleges and universities.

With a total membership of over 200,000 people, members of Phi Delta Phi include five U.S. presidents, two U.S. vice presidents, 14 Supreme Court justices, and numerous members of Congress, Cabinet members, and ambassadors.

History

Phi Delta Phi fraternity house built in 1917 located at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan

Phi Delta Phi was founded on December 13, 1869 at the University of Michigan Law School by John M. Howard, a first year law student. Howard was a graduate of Monmouth College and member of Phi Gamma Delta. His initial intent was to found a chapter of Phi Gamma Delta at Michigan, but he did not follow through with the plan because of the large number of chapters already in place on the campus. Howard instead turned his efforts toward founding a fraternity devoted purely to students of the legal profession.^[1][2]

Phi Delta Phi Inns have occasionally leased or owned residential buildings or secured meeting spaces, often adjacent to law libraries. During World War II, when law school admissions enrollments virtually ceased, all of the Inns remained active on a restricted basis.

The first international unit of the fraternity was the Weldon Inn, chartered in 1925 at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. The first unit in Mexico, the Velasco Inn, was chartered in 1973 at the Escuela Libre de Derecho, in Mexico City.^[1] The first unit in Germany, the Roman Herzog Inn, was chartered in 2006 at the Bucerius Law School, in Hamburg.

After 140 years of operation as a professional fraternity, the fraternity was designated as an honor society in 2012.^[3] In the same year the fraternity began chartering Halls as undergraduate pre-law chapters.^[4]

Symbols

Phi Delta Phi's motto is "Friends of Justice and Wisdom". Its colors are garnet and pearl blue. Its symbols are the owl and skull. Its flower is the Jacqueminot rose. Its publication is The Brief.

Chapters

Main article: List of Phi Delta Phi chapters

Phi Delta Phi has 131 active chapters known as Inns. Each Inn is named for a noted jurist or member of the bar.^[1][5] The honor society has numerous undergraduate chapters, called Halls.

Notable members

Main article: List of Phi Delta Phi members

Over more than one and a half centuries, Phi Delta Phi members have contributed significantly to various areas, specifically the law and politics. Phi Delta Phi's affiliates include five U.S. presidents, two U.S. vice presidents, and fourteen Supreme Court justices.

• Notable Phi Delta Phi members include:
• 
  25th President of the United States William McKinley
• 
  26th President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt
• 
  27th President of the United States William H. Taft
• 
  32nd President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt
• 
  38th President of the United States Gerald Ford
• 
  United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy
• 
  42nd Vice President of the United States Walter Mondale
• 
  44th Vice President of the United States Dan Quayle
• 
  Associate Justice of the United States Thurgood Marshall
• 
  Associate Justice of the United States Sandra Day O'Connor
• 
  Chief Justice of the United States Earl Warren
• 
  Chief Justice of the United States William Rehnquist
• 
  Associate Justice of the United States Anthony Kennedy
• 
  Associate Justice of the United States Antonin Scalia
• 
  Chief Justice of the United States Charles Evans Hughes
• 
  Associate Justice of the United States Benjamin N. Cardozo
• 
  Associate Justice of the United States Owen Roberts
• 
  Associate Justice of the United States Hugo Black
• 
  Associate Justice of the United States Lewis F. Powell, Jr.
• 
  Associate Justice of the United States Byron White
• 
  Associate Justice of the United States John Paul Stevens
• 
  43rd Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Sam Rayburn
• 
  United States Senator Howard Baker
• 
  United States Senator Birch Bayh
• 
  United States Senator Daniel Inouye
• 
  United States Senator Patrick Leahy
• 
  74th United States Attorney General William French Smith
• 
  75th United States Attorney General Edwin Meese
• 
  31st Governor of Illinois Adlai Stevenson II
• 
  Solicitor General of the United States Robert Bork
• 
  Solicitor General of the United States Ken Starr
• 
  Watergate scandal special prosecutor Leon Jaworski
• 
  38th Indiana Attorney General Pamela Carter