Kappa Alpha Society

The Kappa Alpha Society ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) is a North American social college fraternity. Founded in 1825, itmwas the progenitor of the modern fraternity system in North America. It is considered to be the oldest national, secret, Greek-letter social fraternity and was the first of the fraternities which would eventually become known as the Union Triad that pioneered the North American system of social fraternities.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref>

While several fraternities claim to be the oldest, Baird's Manual states that {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} has maintained a continuous existence since its foundation, making it the oldest undergraduate fraternity that exists today.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref> As of 2022, there are five active chapters in the United States and Canada.<ref name="Baird's Manual Online" />

This organization is not to be confused with the Kappa Alpha Order, a completely separate national fraternity.

History

In 1823, John Hart Hunter, Isaac W. Jackson, and Thomas Hun, who were students at Union College in Schenectady, New York, established an informal group called The Philosophers.<ref name=":0" /> That group became the Kappa Alpha Society on Template:Dts.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> Its founders were Joseph Anthony Constant, John Hart Hunter, Isaac W. Jackson, Thomas Hun, John McGeoch, Orlando Meads, and James Proudfit of the class of Template:Dts, and Arthur Burtis and Joseph Law of the class of Template:Dts.<ref name=":0" />

The Kappa Alpha Society represents the middle link between secret societies, literary societies, and Greek-letter organizations like Phi Beta Kappa. In the words of founding member Arthur Burtis:

KA expanded to Williams College in 1833, with fourteen pledges led by Azariah S. Clark of the class of 1834. Other chapters were established in the 19th century at Hobart College, Princeton College, the University of Virginia, Cornell University, the University of Toronto, Lehigh University, and McGill University.<ref name="Baird's Manual Online">Baird, {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} The main archive URL is The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage.</ref> Chapters were established at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Western Ontario, Wesleyan University, the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary, and Dalhousie University in the 20th century.<ref name="Baird's Manual Online" /> The Union and Wesleyan chapters were co-educational (male and female members) in the recent past. There are currently no co-educational chapters.

Chapters

Following is a list of the active and inactive chapters of the Kappa Alpha Society, with active chapters indicated in bold and inactive chapters in italics.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Baird's Manual Online" /> Chapters are designated with an abbreviation of the institution's Latin name.

Chapter	Letters	Charter date and range	Institution	Location	Status	References
New York Alpha	CC	Template:Dts – Template:Dts; Template:Dts	Union College	Schenectady, New York	Active	Template:Efn
Massachusetts Alpha	CG	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	Williams College	Williamstown, Massachusetts	Inactive	Template:Efn
New York Beta	CH	Template:Dts – Template:Dts; Template:Dts–Template:Dts; Template:Dts	Hobart College	Geneva, New York	Active	Template:Efn
New Jersey Alpha	CNC	Template:Dts – Template:Dts; Template:Dts–Template:Dts	Princeton University	Princeton, New Jersey	Inactive
Virginia Alpha	VV	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	University of Virginia	Charlottesville, Virginia	Inactive
New York Gamma	VC	Template:Dts – Template:Dts; Template:Dts–Template:Dts	Cornell University	Ithaca, New York	Inactive
Ontario Alpha	VT	Template:Dts	University of Toronto	Toronto, Ontario	Active
Pennsylvania Alpha	VL	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	Lehigh University	Bethlehem, Pennsylvania	Inactive
Quebec Alpha	VM	Template:Dts – Template:Dts; Template:Dts–Template:Dts; Template:Dts–Template:Dts	McGill University	Montreal, Quebec	Inactive
Pennsylvania Beta	VP	Template:Dts	University of Pennsylvania	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Active	Template:Efn
Ontario Beta	VOO	Template:Dts	University of Western Ontario	London, Ontario	Active	Template:Efn
Connecticut Alpha	VW	Template:Dts – Template:Dts; Template:Dts–Template:Dts	Wesleyan University	Middletown, Connecticut	Inactive	Template:Efn
Alberta Alpha	VA	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	University of Alberta	Edmonton, Alberta	Inactive
Alberta Beta	VAC	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	University of Calgary	Calgary, Alberta	Inactive
Nova Scotia Alpha	VD	Template:Dts – Template:Dts	Dalhousie University	Halifax, Nova Scotia	Inactive

Notable members

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The Kappa Alpha Society has produced a substantial number of notable members in widely varied fields throughout its 200-year history.

See also

• List of social fraternities and sororities

References

• Kappa Alpha Society. (1881). A biographical record of the Kappa Alpha Society in Williams College, Williamstown, Mass.: From its foundation to the present time. 1831-1881. New York, NY: S. W. Green's Son.
• Kappa Alpha Society. (2002). A directory of Kappa Alpha 2002: 175th anniversary edition. Purchase, NY: Bernard C. Harris Publishing Company.
• Tarleton, Robert S. (1993). The Spirit of Kappa Alpha: The oldest Greek-letter social fraternity in prose, poetry and picture. New York, NY: John Hart Hunter Press.
• The Executive Council of The Kappa Alpha Society. (1941). Kappa Alpha Record: 1825-1940. Clinton, MA: The Colonial Press.
• The Executive Council of The Kappa Alpha Society. (1950). Directory of the Kappa Alpha Society 1950. St. Albans, VT: The North Country Press.
• The Executive Council of The Kappa Alpha Society. (1960). Kappa Alpha Record 1825-1960. Utica, NY: Thomas J. Griffiths Sons.
• The Executive Council of The Kappa Alpha Society. (1976). Kappa Alpha Record 1825-1976: Sesquicentennial edition. Ithaca, NY: Art Craft Printers.