Alibi Club
Encyclopedia
The Alibi Club is a private, traditional gentlemen's club
in Washington, D.C.
Its members comprise the Washington elite, including presidents, senators, and diplomats, among other prominent figures.
when the whereabouts of a member was questioned by the member's family. The club's founding purpose was to foster "mutual improvement, education, and enlightenment" among members of Washington society. Membership also extended to out of town figures from New York
, Boston
and Philadelphia, most likely to share information between communities and help in the development of strategies to address civic issues. Throughout its history, it has hosted numerous world leaders, including King Leopold of Belgium, Prince Albert of Belgium
, Prince Henry of Prussia
, and Li Hung Chang, Ambassador of China.
. The clubhouse is furnished with donated memorabilia and artifacts that cover nearly every available section of wall on the first two floors. The clubhouse is also notable as a well preserved example of residential architecture in a commercial district, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on October 21, 1994.
Some of the Alibi Club's most prominent members have included: President George H.W. Bush, his father, Senator Prescott Bush
, Supreme Court Justices Potter Stewart
and Stanley F. Reed, Allen Dulles and John Foster Dulles
, Speaker of the House Nicholas Longworth
, and General George C. Marshall.
James W. Symington
Gentlemen's club
A gentlemen's club is a members-only private club of a type originally set up by and for British upper class men in the eighteenth century, and popularised by English upper-middle class men and women in the late nineteenth century. Today, some are more open about the gender and social status of...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Its members comprise the Washington elite, including presidents, senators, and diplomats, among other prominent figures.
History
In 1884, seven Washingtonians founded the Alibi Club, a private social club consisting of prominent political and social figures. Its name derived from the club practice of providing an alibiAlibi
Alibi is a 1929 American crime film directed by Roland West. The screenplay was written by West and C. Gardner Sullivan, who adapted the 1927 Broadway stage play, Nightstick, written by Elaine Sterne Carrington, J.C...
when the whereabouts of a member was questioned by the member's family. The club's founding purpose was to foster "mutual improvement, education, and enlightenment" among members of Washington society. Membership also extended to out of town figures from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and Philadelphia, most likely to share information between communities and help in the development of strategies to address civic issues. Throughout its history, it has hosted numerous world leaders, including King Leopold of Belgium, Prince Albert of Belgium
Albert II of Belgium
Albert II is the current reigning King of the Belgians, a constitutional monarch. He is a member of the royal house "of Belgium"; formerly this house was named Saxe-Coburg-Gotha...
, Prince Henry of Prussia
Prince Henry of Prussia
Frederick Henry Louis , commonly known as Henry , was a Prince of Prussia. He also served as a general and statesman, and, in 1786, was suggested as a candidate for a monarch for the United States....
, and Li Hung Chang, Ambassador of China.
Clubhouse
The first clubhouse was situated at 17th and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. Since 1886, the club has occupied a three story, brick townhouse blocks away from the White HouseWhite House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. The clubhouse is furnished with donated memorabilia and artifacts that cover nearly every available section of wall on the first two floors. The clubhouse is also notable as a well preserved example of residential architecture in a commercial district, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on October 21, 1994.
Membership
Membership is limited to fifty, with new members admitted upon unanimous vote after the death of a previous member. Membership is not revealed to outsiders, and the first public notice of membership is often in a member's obituary.Some of the Alibi Club's most prominent members have included: President George H.W. Bush, his father, Senator Prescott Bush
Prescott Bush
Prescott Sheldon Bush was a Wall Street executive banker and a United States Senator, representing Connecticut from 1952 until January 1963. He was the father of George H. W. Bush and the grandfather of George W...
, Supreme Court Justices Potter Stewart
Potter Stewart
Potter Stewart was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. During his tenure, he made, among other areas, major contributions to criminal justice reform, civil rights, access to the courts, and Fourth Amendment jurisprudence.-Education:Stewart was born in Jackson, Michigan,...
and Stanley F. Reed, Allen Dulles and John Foster Dulles
John Foster Dulles
John Foster Dulles served as U.S. Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1959. He was a significant figure in the early Cold War era, advocating an aggressive stance against communism throughout the world...
, Speaker of the House Nicholas Longworth
Nicholas Longworth
Nicholas Longworth IV was a prominent American politician in the Republican Party during the first few decades of the 20th century...
, and General George C. Marshall.
- David M. Abshire
- David AchesonDavid AchesonDavid Campion Acheson is an American lawyer and the son of former US Secretary of State Dean Acheson.David Acheson was born in Washington, D.C. He graduated from Yale University, where he was President of the Yale Political Union and a member of Skull and Bones, with a B.A. in 1942. After serving...
- Dean AchesonDean AchesonDean Gooderham Acheson was an American statesman and lawyer. As United States Secretary of State in the administration of President Harry S. Truman from 1949 to 1953, he played a central role in defining American foreign policy during the Cold War...
- Theodore AchillesTheodore AchillesTheodore Carter Achilles was a United States diplomat who served as Ambassador to Peru.-Biography:Achilles was born 29 December 1905 in Rochester, New York to the daughter of Eastman Kodak president Henry A. Strong. Achilles' uncle, George R. Carter, was the second Governor of Hawaii...
- Lamar AlexanderLamar AlexanderAndrew Lamar Alexander is the senior United States Senator from Tennessee and Conference Chair of the Republican Party. He was previously the 45th Governor of Tennessee from 1979 to 1987, United States Secretary of Education from 1991 to 1993 under President George H. W...
- Chandler Anderson
- Larz AndersonLarz AndersonLarz Anderson III was a wealthy American businessman and diplomat who briefly served as U.S. Ambassador to Japan ....
- Truxtun BealeTruxtun BealeTruxtun Beale was an American diplomat.-Biography:Beale was born in San Francisco to Edward Fitzgerald Beale and Mary Engle Edwards; his siblings were Mary and Emily . He was named for his grand-father Commodore Thomas Truxtun...
- Gist Blair
- Robert Woods Bliss
- Frederick N. Brooke
- David K.E. Bruce
- George H.W. Bush
- Prescott BushPrescott BushPrescott Sheldon Bush was a Wall Street executive banker and a United States Senator, representing Connecticut from 1952 until January 1963. He was the father of George H. W. Bush and the grandfather of George W...
- George E. Corcoran
- Thomas Gardiner CorcoranThomas Gardiner CorcoranThomas Gardiner Corcoran was one of several Irish American advisors in President Franklin D. Roosevelt's brain trust during the New Deal, and later, a close friend and advisor to President Lyndon B. Johnson....
- Dwight F. DavisDwight F. DavisDwight Filley Davis was an American tennis player and politician. He is best remembered as the founder of the Davis Cup international tennis competition.-Biography:...
- Allen Dulles
- John Foster DullesJohn Foster DullesJohn Foster Dulles served as U.S. Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1959. He was a significant figure in the early Cold War era, advocating an aggressive stance against communism throughout the world...
- James DunnJames Clement DunnJames Clement Dunn was an American diplomat and a career employee of the United States Department of State. He served as the Ambassador of the United States to Italy, France, Spain, and Brazil.-References:**...
- Walter Edge
- George A. GarrettGeorge A. GarrettGeorge A. Garrett was a United States diplomat. He served as U.S. Minister to Ireland from 1947 to 1950, when the title changed to U.S. Ambassador, which he would serve as until 1951.-Biography:...
- Charles C. Glover III
- Gordon Gray
- Cary Grayson
- Joseph GrewJoseph GrewJoseph Clark Grew was a United States diplomat and career foreign service officer. He was the chargé d'affaires at the U.S. embassy in Vienna when Austria-Hungary severed diplomatic relations with the United States on April 9, 1917. Later he was the U.S. Ambassador to Denmark 1920–1921 and U.S....
- Alfred GruentherAlfred GruentherAlfred Maximilian Gruenther was the youngest World War II Major General and after the war, as a four-star General, served as the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe from 1953 to 1956.-Biography:...
- Frederick HaleFrederick HaleFrederick Hale was a politician from the U.S. state of Maine, representing the state in the United States Senate from 1917 to 1941. He was the son of Eugene Hale, the grandson of Zachariah Chandler, both also U.S. Senators, brother of diplomat Chandler Hale, and the cousin of U.S...
- George Hamilton, Jr.
- Nelson Hartson
- Christian HerterChristian HerterChristian Archibald Herter was an American politician and statesman; 59th governor of Massachusetts from 1953 to 1957, and United States Secretary of State from 1959 to 1961.-Early life:...
- William Hibbs
- Archibald Hopkins
- Walter Bruce Howe
- David C. Karrick
- Samuel Kaufman
- John KeanJohn Kean (New Jersey)John Kean was an American lawyer, banker and Republican Party politician from Elizabeth, New Jersey. He represented New Jersey in the U.S. Senate from 1899 to 1911 and served two separate terms in the United States House of Representatives, from 1883 to 1885, and from 1887 to 1889...
- Emory S. LandEmory S. LandVice Admiral Emory Scott Land was an officer in the United States Navy, noted for his contributions to naval architecture, particularly in submarine design. Notable assignments included serving as Chief of the Navy's Bureau of Construction and Repair during the 1930s, and as Chairman of the U.S...
- Nicholas LongworthNicholas LongworthNicholas Longworth IV was a prominent American politician in the Republican Party during the first few decades of the 20th century...
- Robert A. LovettRobert A. LovettRobert Abercrombie Lovett was the fourth United States Secretary of Defense, serving in the cabinet of President Harry S. Truman from 1951 to 1953 and in this capacity, directed the Korean War. Promoted to the position from deputy secretary of defense Domhoff described Lovett as a "Cold War...
- George C. Marshall
- Benjamin Mosby McKelway
- John Lord O'Brian
- Thomas Nelson PageThomas Nelson PageThomas Nelson Page was a lawyer and American writer. He also served as the U.S. ambassador to Italy during the administration of President Woodrow Wilson, including the important period of World War I.-Biography:...
- Stanley F. Reed
- Henry Roosevelt
- Jules Henri de SibourJules Henri de SibourJules Gabriel Henri de Sibour was a French architect.Born in Paris, France to Vicomte Gabriel de Sibour and Mary Louisa Johnson of Belfast, Maine, he came to the United States as a child and attended St. Paul's School in New Hampshire. He received a degree from Yale University in 1896, where he...
- Potter StewartPotter StewartPotter Stewart was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. During his tenure, he made, among other areas, major contributions to criminal justice reform, civil rights, access to the courts, and Fourth Amendment jurisprudence.-Education:Stewart was born in Jackson, Michigan,...
- Maxwell Taylor
- Alexander Turner
- Sammy TurnerSammy TurnerSammy Turner is an American singer, who was popular at the end of the 1950s.-Career:...
- J.W. Wadsworth
- John F. Wilkins
- Clarence R. Wilson
- Blanton Winship
- Jerauld WrightJerauld WrightAdmiral Jerauld Wright, USN, served as the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Atlantic Command and the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S...
- William M. WrightWilliam M. WrightWilliam Mason Wright was a Lieutenant General in the United States Army.Born in Newark, New Jersey on September 24, 1863, he was the son of Army Colonel Edward H. Wright , a career officer whose service included assignments as Aide-de-Camp to Generals Winfield Scott and George B. McClellan. William M...
James W. Symington
See also
- List of American gentlemen's clubs
- National Register of Historic Places listings in the District of Columbia