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Jefferson Literary and Debating Society

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Jefferson Literary and Debating Society
ΦΠΘ
FoundedJuly 14, 1825; 199 years ago (1825-07-14)
University of Virginia
TypeLiterary
AffiliationIndependent
StatusActive
EmphasisDebating Society, Oratory, Écriture
ScopeLocal
MottoHaec Olim Meminisse Iuvabit
Colors  Pink,   Gray, and   Blue
PhilanthropyRestoration Ball (annually)
Chapters1
NicknameThe Jefferson Society
HeadquartersUniversity of Virginia, Hotel C, West Range (Jefferson Hall)
Charlottesville, Virginia 22903
United States
Websitejeffersonsociety.org

The Jefferson Literary and Debating Society (commonly known as "Jeff Society" or "Jeff Soc") is the oldest continuously existing collegiate debating society in North America. The society was founded on July 14, 1825, in Room Seven, West Lawn at the University of Virginia by 16 disgruntled members of the Patrick Henry Society.[1] Named for the founder of the university, Thomas Jefferson, the society regularly meets on Friday evenings at "The Hall" in the Lawn.

The society's members have included several Presidents of the United States, a British Prime Minister as well as governors, senators and congresspeople. Its motto, Haec Olim Meminisse Iuvabit, is taken from Virgil's Aeneid and roughly translates to, "In the future it will be pleasing to remember these things." Its Greek name ΦΠΘ, initials for Φίλοί, Πατρίς, θεός (philoi, patris, theos, or "brotherhood, fatherland, divinity"), makes the society the second-oldest Greek-lettered organization in the United States.

Jefferson Hall, Hotel C, West Range

History

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Jefferson Society Members,
The Lawn, University of Virginia,
Founder's Day, April 13, 1867[2]

Membership in the society grew rapidly in the early years after its founding. By 1855, the University of Virginia was the second largest university in the nation after Harvard University, enrolling 645 students. That school year, the society admitted 155 new members: nearly a quarter of the student body of the university.

In the hotheaded antebellum years, the society could become raucous. Its elections were condemned by the faculty for "such turbulence as to degrade the reputation of the University."[3] An especially coveted honor was to be selected as "final orator," a post comparable to that of a valedictorian today.

The society played a key role in establishing student journalism at the university, founding the University Magazine as early as 1856.[4] Later known as the Virginia Spectator, the paper played a major part in University life for a century, with its profile ranging from high seriousness to satire, until being shut down by the president of the university in the late 1950s for obscenity.[5] The Jefferson Society sponsored the magazine for many decades.[6]

Also in 1856, the society expressed its approval of the caning of Charles Sumner by sending Preston Brooks a new gold-headed cane to replace his broken one.[7]. During the Civil War period, the membership of the society at that time, committed to the defense of the Southern States, decided to donate its entire treasury to the Confederate cause.[8]

Since the antebellum and Civil War periods, the society has grown with the larger American and world culture — in the beginning, with difficulty. When Dr. Wesley L. Harris, the society's first African-American Member, and The Honorable Barbara M. G. Lynn, the society's first female Member, were inducted into the society following the successful completion of their probationary periods in 1963 and 1972, respectively, a significant number of Regular Members protested.[9] Today, commissioned portraits of both Dr. Harris and Judge Lynn, alongside portraits of President Woodrow Wilson (photo), Mr. Edgar Allen Poe (photo), President James Madison, and President James Monroe, grace The Hall, now hosting a still dynamic and more diverse society membership.[10][11]

In addition to its traditional meetings in the The Hall, Room Seven, West Lawn, is maintained by the Jefferson Society, selecting a fourth-year student to live there.

The society hosts several events throughout the year including its Distinguished Speaker Series,[12] for which it invites prominent scholars and speakers across academic disciplines to address students. The society also hosts formal social events including Wilson's Day, the Restoration Ball, and Founder's Day, first held in 1832.

Art Collection and Archive (Selected)

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  • The Sully Portrait is one of the only portraits of Thomas Jefferson painted from life. It was painted by Thomas Sully and is loaned to the University of Virginia to be displayed in the Rotunda.[13]
  • Edgar Allan Poe signed a minutes book one evening during which he served as secretary pro tem. His signature was later clipped out by Lancelot Blackford in the 1850s, stealing it, yet also saving it from the Great Rotunda Fire in 1895. Society alumni raised money to buy the signature from a collector in the early 1980s, in honor of their friend and fellow alumnus, James F. Perz. The signature is kept in secure storage as part of the university library's special collections.[14]
  • Thomas Woodrow Wilson signed one of the roll books during his tenure as the Society's president. Furthermore, the Society's minute books also contain many sets of handwritten minutes signed by Wilson when he was the Society's Secretary.[15]

Notable Members

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Honorary Members

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Thomas Jefferson turned down an invitation for honorary membership in a letter dated August 12, 1825, citing his need to avoid altering his relationship with the university and its students.[31]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "History". The Jefferson Literary and Debating Society. April 21, 2025.
  2. ^ Williamson, Eric (July 19, 2017). "Uncovering the Story Behind UVA's Oldest Student Society". University of Virginia, School of Law. Retrieved 2025-04-22.
  3. ^ Dabney, p. 12
  4. ^ More, John, History of the Jefferson Society, 1825–1957, noting that the magazine was first mentioned in the Society's minutes in 1865
  5. ^ Dabney, pp. 552, 606
  6. ^ Dabney, p. 181
  7. ^ Puleo, Stephen (2012). The Caning: The Assault That Drove America to Civil War. Yardley, PA: Westholme Publishing LLC. pp. 102, 114–115. ISBN 978-1-59416-516-0.
  8. ^ "History". The Jefferson Literary and Debating Society. April 21, 2025.
  9. ^ "History". The Jefferson Literary and Debating Society. April 21, 2025.
  10. ^ "History". The Jefferson Literary and Debating Society. April 22, 2025.
  11. ^ "Hall Reservations". The Jefferson Literary and Debating Society. April 22, 2025.
  12. ^ "Speaker Series". The Jefferson Literary and Debating Society. April 15, 2018.
  13. ^ Miniturn, Molly (2016). "The Jefferson Curating Society: At long last, the oldest student group on Grounds agrees to share a treasure trove of UVA history". Virginia Magazine. Retrieved 2025-04-22.
  14. ^ Miniturn, Molly (2016). "The Jefferson Curating Society: At long last, the oldest student group on Grounds agrees to share a treasure trove of UVA history". Virginia Magazine. Retrieved 2025-04-22.
  15. ^ Miniturn, Molly (2016). "The Jefferson Curating Society: At long last, the oldest student group on Grounds agrees to share a treasure trove of UVA history". Virginia Magazine. Retrieved 2025-04-22.
  16. ^ Harrison, James Albert (1903). The life of Edgar Allan Poe. T.Y. Crowell & Company. pp. 60–61. edgar allan poe jefferson society.
  17. ^ Kraig, Robert Alexander (2004). Woodrow Wilson and the Lost World of the Oratorical Statesman. Texas A&M University Press. p. 42. ISBN 9781585442751.
  18. ^ Education, United States Congress House Committee on Education and Labor Subcommittee on Postsecondary (1975). Sex Discrimination Regulations: Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Postsecondary Education of the Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives, Ninety-fourth Congress, First Session: Review of Regulations to Implement Title IX of Public Law 92-318 Conducted Pursuant to Sec. 431 of the General Education Provisions Act, Washington, D.C. ... U.S. Government Printing Office.
  19. ^ Miniturn, Molly (2016). "The Jefferson Curating Society: At long last, the oldest student group on Grounds agrees to share a treasure trove of UVA history". Virginia Magazine. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
  20. ^ Wharton, Amy. "Law Library Guides: Our History: Featured Alumni/ae: Scott, Hugh D., Jr., 1922". libguides.law.virginia.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
  21. ^ a b c d "Jefferson Society Famous Members (Revised)" (PDF). University of Virginia Board of Visitors. 2013-11-14. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-09-04. Retrieved 2014-10-06.
  22. ^ "UVa President John Casteen Discusses School History with Students". Newsplex.com. 2010-02-01. Archived from the original on 2014-10-08. Retrieved 2014-10-06.
  23. ^ "Virginia is for Lovers: Romance at the University". UVA Magazine. Retrieved 2014-10-06.
  24. ^ Weeks, Lindon (1998-07-16). "A Life of History". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2017-04-10. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
  25. ^ Mather, Mike (2024-08-19). "In Memoriam: Roxane Gilmore, Double Hoo and Former Virginia First Lady". UVA Today. Archived from the original on 2024-08-26. Retrieved 2024-09-09.
  26. ^ Gunay, Defne (2004-10-20). "Cavalier Royalty". The Cavalier Daily. Archived from the original on 2011-06-17. Retrieved 2006-11-09. I played varsity volleyball, I was in the Jefferson Society, A Chi O sorority, U.Dems and I was also an honor advisor.
  27. ^ Lindenfeld Hall, Sarah (Spring 2019). "On the Beat: UVA grads find success in journalism". Virginia Magazine. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  28. ^ Adkins, Lenore T. (2022). "Distinguished Professor Wesley Harris Reflects on Trailblazing Career". American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Retrieved 2025-04-22.
  29. ^ Staff, National Academy of Engineering (2025). "Dr. Wesley L. Harris". National Academy of Engineering (NAE). Retrieved 2025-04-22.
  30. ^ "Meet Barbara and Mike Lynn, Dallas' legal power couple". Dallas News. 2014-04-26. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  31. ^ a b c d HNAI Long Beach Hard Times Tokens Auction Catalog. Ivy Press. 2007. p. 95. ISBN 9781599670744.
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