Phi Delta Phi
Encyclopedia
Phi Delta Phi, ΦΔΦ, is the world's second largest legal fraternity. Phi Delta Phi is the second oldest legal organization in continuous existence in the United States and third oldest in North America. The fraternity was founded at the University of Michigan
in 1869 "to promote a higher standard of professional ethics." Phi Delta Phi is the second law fraternity to initiate undergraduate or pre-law students.
and member of Phi Gamma Delta
(FIJI). His initial intent was to found a chapter of FIJI at the University, 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.
Many Inns require strict academic standards for admission. In some jurisdictions, every chapter of Phi Delta Phi is regarded as an “honors” organization because of grade point requirements for admission (e.g., Texas, Florida). Phi Delta Phi’s tradition of being the “elite” legal professional fraternity carries well into the 21st Century. For example, from 2000-2003, the Chief Justices of the Supreme Courts of the United States, Canada and Mexico were all Phi Delta Phis.
Phi Delta Phi currently has chapters in all the top 20 law schools in the United States and has more chapters in Latin America (18) and Canada (9) than any other legal fraternity. It was the first professional legal fraternity to be international in character with the chartering of a chapter in Canada. It is the only professional legal fraternity to have active chapters in Europe.
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1869 "to promote a higher standard of professional ethics." Phi Delta Phi is the second law fraternity to initiate undergraduate or pre-law students.
History
The oldest professional fraternity still in existence, Phi Delta Phi was founded in the law department of the University of Michigan by John M. Howard of the class of 1871. Howard was a graduate of Monmouth CollegeMonmouth College
Monmouth College is a four-year coeducational private liberal arts college located in Monmouth, Illinois, United States.-History:Monmouth College was founded on April 18, 1853 by the Second Presbytery of Illinois, a frontier arm of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church...
and member of Phi Gamma Delta
Phi Gamma Delta
The international fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta is a collegiate social fraternity with 120 chapters and 18 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Jefferson College, Pennsylvania, in 1848, and its headquarters are located in Lexington, Kentucky, USA...
(FIJI). His initial intent was to found a chapter of FIJI at the University, 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.
Current status
The total initiated membership of Phi Delta Phi exceeds 200,000 persons. More judges, governors, senators, representatives, cabinet members, ambassadors, American Bar Association presidents, Association of American Law School presidents and law school Deans have come from the ranks of Phi Delta Phi than from any other legal fraternity.Many Inns require strict academic standards for admission. In some jurisdictions, every chapter of Phi Delta Phi is regarded as an “honors” organization because of grade point requirements for admission (e.g., Texas, Florida). Phi Delta Phi’s tradition of being the “elite” legal professional fraternity carries well into the 21st Century. For example, from 2000-2003, the Chief Justices of the Supreme Courts of the United States, Canada and Mexico were all Phi Delta Phis.
Phi Delta Phi currently has chapters in all the top 20 law schools in the United States and has more chapters in Latin America (18) and Canada (9) than any other legal fraternity. It was the first professional legal fraternity to be international in character with the chartering of a chapter in Canada. It is the only professional legal fraternity to have active chapters in Europe.
U.S. Presidents
(term served in office)- Gerald R. Ford (1974-1977)
- Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin D. RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
(1933-1945) - William H. Taft (1909-1913)
- Theodore RooseveltTheodore RooseveltTheodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
(1901-1909) - William McKinleyWilliam McKinleyWilliam McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
(1897-1901)
Supreme Court Justices
(term served on the Court)- Anthony M. Kennedy (1988-present)
- Antonin ScaliaAntonin ScaliaAntonin Gregory Scalia is an American jurist who serves as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. As the longest-serving justice on the Court, Scalia is the Senior Associate Justice...
(1986-present) - John Paul StevensJohn Paul StevensJohn Paul Stevens served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from December 19, 1975 until his retirement on June 29, 2010. At the time of his retirement, he was the oldest member of the Court and the third-longest serving justice in the Court's history...
(1975-2010) - Sandra Day O'ConnorSandra Day O'ConnorSandra Day O'Connor is an American jurist who was the first female member of the Supreme Court of the United States. She served as an Associate Justice from 1981 until her retirement from the Court in 2006. O'Connor was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981...
(1981-2006) - William H. Rehnquist (1972-2005)
- Byron R. White (1962-1993)
- Thurgood MarshallThurgood MarshallThurgood Marshall was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, serving from October 1967 until October 1991...
(1967-1991) - William J. Brennan (1956-1990)
- Lewis Franklin Powell, Jr.Lewis Franklin Powell, Jr.Lewis Franklin Powell, Jr. was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He developed a reputation as a judicial moderate, and was known as a master of compromise and consensus-building. He was also widely well regarded by contemporaries due to his personal good manners and...
(1972-1987) - 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,...
(1958-1981) - Hugo BlackHugo BlackHugo Lafayette Black was an American politician and jurist. A member of the Democratic Party, Black represented Alabama in the United States Senate from 1927 to 1937, and served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1937 to 1971. Black was nominated to the Supreme...
(1937-1971) - Earl WarrenEarl WarrenEarl Warren was the 14th Chief Justice of the United States.He is known for the sweeping decisions of the Warren Court, which ended school segregation and transformed many areas of American law, especially regarding the rights of the accused, ending public-school-sponsored prayer, and requiring...
(1953-1969) - Benjamin N. CardozoBenjamin N. CardozoBenjamin Nathan Cardozo was a well-known American lawyer and associate Supreme Court Justice. Cardozo is remembered for his significant influence on the development of American common law in the 20th century, in addition to his modesty, philosophy, and vivid prose style...
(1932-1938) - William H. Taft (1921-1930)
Other notable members
- John Bayard AndersonJohn B. AndersonJohn Bayard Anderson is a former United States Congressman and Presidential candidate from Illinois. He was a U.S. Representative from the 16th Congressional District of Illinois for ten terms from 1961 through 1981 and an Independent candidate in the 1980 presidential election. He was previously...
- John AshcroftJohn AshcroftJohn David Ashcroft is a United States politician who served as the 79th United States Attorney General, from 2001 until 2005, appointed by President George W. Bush. Ashcroft previously served as the 50th Governor of Missouri and a U.S...
- Howard BakerHoward BakerHoward Henry Baker, Jr. is a former Senate Majority Leader, Republican U.S. Senator from Tennessee, White House Chief of Staff, and a former United States Ambassador to Japan.Known in Washington, D.C...
- James A. Baker III
- Birch BayhBirch BayhBirch Evans Bayh II is a former United States Senator from Indiana, having served from 1963 to 1981. He was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president in the 1976 election, but lost to Jimmy Carter. He is the father of former Indiana Governor and former U.S. Senator Evan Bayh.-Life...
- Matthew J. Belcher
- Walter O. BigbyWalter O. BigbyWalter Oliver Bigby, Sr. , was a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Bossier Parish, having served from 1968 until 1979. Often called the "Dean of the House" because of his reputation for integrity, fairness, and hard work, Bigby was a son-in-law of banker and former...
- Robert Lee BobbittRobert L. BobbittRobert Lee Bobbitt, Sr. , was an attorney and Democratic politician from San Antonio, Texas, who served in the first half of the 20th century as Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, Attorney General of Texas, and chairman of the Texas Highway Department.-Early life:Named for Confederate...
- Robert H. Bork
- Ellen Burns
- Pamela Carter
- William ColbyWilliam ColbyWilliam Egan Colby spent a career in intelligence for the United States, culminating in holding the post of Director of Central Intelligence from September 1973, to January 1976....
- Archibald CoxArchibald CoxArchibald Cox, Jr., was an American lawyer and law professor who served as U.S. Solicitor General under President John F. Kennedy. He became known as the first special prosecutor for the Watergate scandal. During his career, he was a pioneering expert on labor law and also an authority on...
- John DanforthJohn DanforthJohn Claggett "Jack" Danforth is a former United States Ambassador to the United Nations and former Republican United States Senator from Missouri. He is an ordained Episcopal priest. Danforth is married to Sally D. Danforth and has five adult children.-Education and early career:Danforth was born...
- Joyce Hens GreenJoyce Hens GreenJudge Joyce Hens Green is a Senior United States District Court Judge for the District of Columbia.-Childhood:Green was born in 1928 in New York City. Her father was a psychiatrist and her mother was a homemaker. She had one brother...
- Ralph HabenRalph HabenRalph H. Haben, Jr. is an American attorney, lobbyist, and politician who served as the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives from 1980 to 1982...
- Reginald C. HarmonReginald C. HarmonReginald C. Harmon was a Major General in the United States Air Force and served as its first Judge Advocate General. At the age of 29, he was elected as the mayor of Urbana, Illinois.-Background:...
- Guy E. Humphries, Jr.Guy HumphriesGuy Earl Humphries, Jr. was a Ninth Judicial District Court judge in Alexandria, Louisiana, known also as a co-founder of the Renaissance Home for Youth, a criminal rehabilitation center in Rapides Parish...
- Daniel K. Inouye
- Henry M. JacksonHenry M. JacksonHenry Martin "Scoop" Jackson was a U.S. Congressman and Senator from the state of Washington from 1941 until his death...
- Thomas Penfield JacksonThomas Penfield JacksonThomas Penfield Jackson is a former United States District Court Judge for the District of Columbia....
- Leon JaworskiLeon JaworskiLeonidas "Leon" Jaworski was the second Special Prosecutor during the Watergate Scandal...
- Patrick LeahyPatrick LeahyPatrick Joseph Leahy is the senior United States Senator from Vermont and member of the Democratic Party. He is the first and only elected Democratic United States Senator in Vermont's history. He is the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Leahy is the second most senior U.S. Senator,...
- Karl Llewellyn
- Gerald T. McLaughlinGerald McLaughlinGerald McLaughlin was a United States federal judge.Born in Newark, New Jersey, McLaughlin received an A.B. from Fordham College in 1914, and an LL.B. from Fordham University School of Law in 1917...
- Chris MarrouChris MarrouChris Rene Marrou is former news anchor for KENS 5-TV in San Antonio, Texas from 1973-2009. Marrou is known for doing segments where he involved himself in different occupations or tried unique endeavors...
- Edwin Meese III
- Carmen MilanoCarmen MilanoCarmen Joseph Milano was a disbarred lawyer who eventually became a member of the American Mafia, serving as Underboss of the Los Angeles crime family. The criminal organization he served is headed by his older brother Peter Milano...
- Walter MondaleWalter MondaleWalter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale is an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 42nd Vice President of the United States , under President Jimmy Carter, and as a United States Senator for Minnesota...
- Malcolm W. Monroe
- R. Thomas Olson
- Samuel Pierce Jr.
- Dean William L. ProsserWilliam ProsserWilliam Lloyd Prosser was the Dean of the College of Law at UC Berkeley from 1948 to 1961. Prosser authored several editions of Prosser on Torts, universally recognized as the leading work on the subject of tort law for a generation. It is still widely used today, now known as Prosser and Keeton...
- Dana Rasmussen
- Sam RayburnSam RayburnSamuel Taliaferro Rayburn , often called "Mr. Sam," or "Mr. Democrat," was a Democratic lawmaker from Bonham, Texas, who served as the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives for seventeen years, the longest tenure in U.S. history.- Background :Rayburn was born in Roane County, Tennessee, and...
- Stephen R. Reinhardt
- Owen J. Roberts
- Myra C. Selby
- William French SmithWilliam French SmithWilliam French Smith was an American lawyer and the 74th Attorney General of the United States.-Biography:...
- Kenneth W. Starr
- Adlai Stevenson
- Risley C. TricheRisley C. TricheRisley Claiborne Triche, also known as Pappy Triche , is an attorney in Napoleonville, Louisiana, who served as a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1955-1976...
- Wendell WillkieWendell WillkieWendell Lewis Willkie was a corporate lawyer in the United States and a dark horse who became the Republican Party nominee for the president in 1940. A member of the liberal wing of the GOP, he crusaded against those domestic policies of the New Deal that he thought were inefficient and...
Mexico notable members
- Jesus Tetsuji Tamashiro Paz- Current International President of the Fraternity
- Ministro Genaro Gongora Pimentel
- Lic. Rodrigo Sanchez-Mejorada V.
- Aldo Álvarez Martínez
- Iliana Granadino Martens
- Mariana Ogaz Diaz
- Lic.Mario Marín Torres
- Dr. Guillermo Deloya Cobían
- Armando Mier Revilla
- Ana Curniot Frances
- Luis Franco
- Alfonso Iván López-Bello Moreno
- Dr. José Adalberto Barrales Arias
- Dr. Juan Manuel Codemo