Delta Chi History

Albert Sullard Barnes Myron McKee Crandall John Milton Gorham Peter Schermerhorn Johnson Edward Richard O'Malley Owen Lincoln Potter

Alphonse Derwin Stillman Thomas A.J. Sullivan Monroe Marsh Sweetland Thomas David Watkins Fredrick Moore Whitney

Delta Chi Historical Facts

• Delta Chi was founded on October 13th, 1890 at Cornell University as a law fraternity.
• Since 1890, the Lamp of Learning has been the Fraternity's symbol for education.
• On February 13th, 1897 Delta Chi became an international fraternity with the installation of the Osgoode Hall Chapter in Toronto, Canada.
• In 1922 Delta Chi, after much debate and controversy, became a general fraternity.
• Delta Chi officially abolished "hell week" in 1929.
• In 1954, the Delta Chi Educational Foundation was established.
• Headquarters Office was moved to its present location at 314 Church St, Iowa City, Iowa.
• At the 1975 Chicago Convention, the Order of the White Carnation was created to honor outstanding alumni, with Victor T. Johnson becoming the first inductee.

Our Spiritual Founding Father

If there was one man who personifies all the principles that Delta Chi was built upon, that man would be Sir Edward Coke (pronounced "Cook"). Sir Edward Coke has long been recongized as our Spiritual Founder, embodying the traits that every Delta Chi strives for.

Sir Edward Coke Born: February 1, 1552 Died: September 3, 1634

Sir Edward Coke was one of the most eminent English Jurists in the history of English law. He entered Parliament in 1589 and rose rapidly, becoming Solicitor General and Speaker of the House of Commons. In 1593 he was made Attorney General over Sir Francis Bacon; thereafter one of Coke's bitterest enemies. He earned a reputation as a severe prosecutor, notably at the trial of Sir Walter Raleigh, and held a favorable position at the court of King James I. In 1606 he became Chief Justice of the Common Pleas. In this position, and after 1613 when was made Chief Justice of the King's Bench, Coke became the champion of common law against the encroachments of the royal prerogative. He declared null and void royal proclamations that were contrary to law. Although his historical arguments were frequently based on false interpretations of early documents, as in the case of the Magna Carter, his reasoning was brilliant and his conclusions impressive. His constant collisions with the King and the numerous enmities he developed brought about his fall. Bacon was one of the foremost figures in engineering his dismissal in 1616. By personal and political influence, Coke got himself back on the Privy Council and was elected in 1620 to Parliament, where he became a leader of the popular faction in opposition to James I and Charles I. Coke proposed and wrote the historic "Petition of Rights" in 1628.

Our Founding Fathers

Albert Sullard Barnes Born: January 13, 1869 Died: July 17, 1935

Barnes was one of only a few of the founders who continued to work closely with the fraternity. He, along with Monroe Marsh Sweetland, was a frequent guest of the Cornell chapter speaking at banquets and other functions. One of his best known quotations was: "Delta Chi is not a weekend or once-a-year affair but a lifelong opportunity and privilege."

Myron McKee Crandall Born: August 27, 1867 Died: August 25, 1931

In the fall of 1887, Myron McKee Crandall and his friend Frank Edward Thomas entered Cornell to study law. For several years they shared rooms on East Seneca Street in Ithaca. Crandall maintained that he and Thomas organized Delta Chi in the Spring of 1889, but the new fraternity failed to meet Cornell's requirements for a student organization and thus was not officially recognized. Crandall claimed credit for the name Delta Chi and the design of the badge; it should be noted that Monroe Marsh Sweetland also claimed credit for the name and the badge. At Crandall's funeral, Albert Sullard Barnes represented the fraternity as an honorary pallbearer. It was not until March 1929 that the Quarterly included the name of Myron McKee Crandall among those of the fraternity's founders. Beginning in May 1919, the Quarterly's masthead in each issue had printed the names of only ten men as founders; then in 1929, our fraternity recognized this eleventh man as founder.

John Milton Gorham Born: unknown Died: unknown

Much of the life of John Milton Gorham is a mystery. After graduating from Cornell in 1891, he broke all contact with the fraternity. Throughout the 1910's and '20s, the Quarterly printed numerous requests for information of Gorham, apparently without success. In the September 1928 issue of the Quarterly, Gorham was listed as "missing" as O.K. Patton ("CC") prepared information for the publication of a new fraternity directory. Research on Gorham continues till this day.

Peter Schermerhorn Johnson Born: December 11, 1869 Died: September 23, 1947

Johnson contributed some of the secret work of the fraternity and penned the words to the song "Fovens Mater." He is also credited with the design of one of the fraternity's early symbols, the hand of humanity reaching for the key of knowledge, and the poem of explanation that accompanies the design. During the "law vs. general membership" debate, Johnson was clearly on the law side. The March 1920 issue of the Quarterly published his letter in which he argued strongly for a single-membership professional organization. Following the decision to drop the law requirement for membership however, Johnson gave his complete support to the re-organized fraternity.

Edward Richard O'Malley Born: March 13, 1863 Died: May 30, 1935

While a student at Cornell, O'Malley was selected to assist the law professors working on a revision of New York State law, and he worked as an assistant in the law library. O'Malley was also recognized for his debating skills. In 1901, he was elected to a two-year term in the New York State Assembly. In 1922, O'Malley ran successfully for the New York Supreme Court and served a ten-year term. He left the bench at the mandatory retirement age of 70. O'Malley's younger brother James (Cornell '02) was "AA" (international presiding officer) in 1902-03, and he also served as a judge on the New York Supreme Court.

Owen Lincoln Potter Born: June 21, 1865 Died: May 11, 1934

Owen Lincoln Potter was the first "A" (chapter presiding officer) and the first "AA" (international presiding officer). After graduation he was admitted to the New York Bar. Relocating to Albany, New York, he worked for the commission on the revision of New York State law for five years before moving into private practice. The Cornell chapter also initiated Potter's brother Horace.

Alphonse Derwin Stillman Born: April 21, 1864 Died: August 24, 1937

Alphonse Derwin Stillman is credited with writing much of the fraternity's rituals during the summer or early fall of 1890. Later a committee composed of Stillman, Barnes, and Fred Kingsbury Stephens completed the work. Stillman graduated from Cornell in the spring of 1891.

Thomas A.J. Sullivan Born: July 6, 1869 Died: October 26, 1924

In 1905-06, Sullivan formed a partnership with Frederick G. Bagley, another early Delta Chi. From 1906 through 1912, Sullivan was county attorney for Erie County, New York. Tom Sullivan's hobbies included fishing, golf, botany, and history. He was a Republican, a Roman Catholic, and a member of the National Guard. Noted for his Irish wit, he was popular with younger lawyers whom he encouraged in the law profession.

Monroe Marsh Sweetland Born: August 14, 1860 Died: February 12, 1944

Sweetland, as a Delta Tau Delta, was interested in fraternal work and ritual. Like Crandall, he claimed credit for originating the idea for the organization that would become Delta Chi. He also claimed sole credit for the design of the badge and for selecting the name "Delta Chi" explaining that he liked the way the two words sounded together. Along with Founders Gorham, Stillman, Barnes, Crandall, and Potter, Sweetland was present on the 13th day of October 1890 for the official chartering of the fraternity. Sweetland was one of a few of the founders who stayed in contact with the fraternity. He was frequently a guest of the Founding Chapter, speaking at initiation and Founder's Day events. During the "law vs. general membership" debate Sweetland supported general membership.

Thomas David Watkins Born: September 4, 1870 Died: December 25, 1912

Thomas David Watkins was the youngest Founding Father of Delta Chi. Watkins was admitted to the bar at Syracuse in April 1893. Over the next years he entered a series of successful partnerships; the most notable was a one-year partnership in 1895 with Albert T. Wilkenson, another early Delta Chi. Thomas David Watkins was active in community affairs, including the YMCA, the Presbyterian Church, and fraternal organizations including the Knights of Pythias.

Frederick Moore Whitney Born: July 14, 1869 Died: October 10, 1942

Whitney was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed camping, hunting, and fishing. Other fraternal organizations that he joined include the Masons and the Elks. Shortly after World War I, Whitney helped reorganize the Rochester Alumni Chapter and was elected its president in 1919. He was an Episcopal and a Republican. Founder Whitney died on October 10th, 1942. He was buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Rochester, on October 13th, 1942, the 52nd anniversary of the founding of Delta Chi.