Members

Whig-Clio graduates include two Presidents, two Vice-Presidents, several hundred Congressmen, several dozen Governors, several dozen federal and state Supreme Court Justices, and almost a hundred college presidents. Below are just a few of the many prolific members that have graced the Halls of the Society.

William Paterson, Clio (founder), Class of 1763. Founded the Cliosophic Society. Founding Father, signer of the Constitution, second governor of New Jersey, Supreme Court Justice. (source)

Tapping Reeve, Clio (founder), Class of 1763. Founded the Cliosophic Society. Founder of the first law school in the United States. (source)

Oliver Ellsworth, Clio (founder), Class of 1766. Founded the Cliosophic Society. Founding Father, drafter of the Constitution, drafter of the Judiciary Act of 1789, third Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. (source)

Luther Martin, Clio (founder), Class of 1766. Founded the Cliosophic Society. Founding Father, delegate to the Constitutional Convention, prominent Anti-Federalist. (source)

Samuel Stanhope Smith, Whig (founder), class of 1769. Founded the American Whig Society. Philosopher, seventh President of Princeton University. (source)

John Beatty, Whig (founder), class of 1769. Founded the American Whig Society. Revolutionary War veteran, Speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly. (source)

John Henry, Whig (founder), class of 1769. Founded the American Whig Society. Senator, eighth Governor of Maryland. (source)

James Madison, Whig (founder), Class of 1771. Founded the American Whig Society. Federalist Papers author, Father of the Constitution, fourth President of the United States.

Philip Freneau, Whig (founder), Class of 1771. Founded the American Whig Society. Coauthored the first American novel while at Princeton. The Poet of the American Revolution. (source)

Hugh Henry Brackenridge, Whig (founder), Class of 1771. Founded the American Whig Society. Coauthored the first American novel while at Princeton. Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice. (source)

Aaron Burr, Clio (founder), Class of 1772. Founded the Cliosophic Society. Revolutionary War veteran, New York Senator, third Vice-President of the United States. (source)

William Bradford, Whig (founder), Class of 1772. Founded the American Whig Society. Argued the first recorded case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Second Attorney General of the United States under George Washington. (source)

Henry “Light-Horse Harry” Lee, Whig (originally Clio), Class of 1773. Revolutionary War veteran, ninth Governor of Virginia, orator at George Washington’s funeral. Father of Robert E. Lee. (source)

Aaron Ogden, Clio, Class of 1773. United States senator, fifth governor of New Jersey. (source)

Henry Brockholst Livingston, Whig, Class of 1774. Revolutionary War veteran, associate Supreme Court justice. (source)

George M. Dallas, Clio, Class of 1810. Senator from Pennsylvania, eleventh Vice-President of the United States. (source)

Norman M. Thomas, Whig, Class of 1905. Pacifist, six-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America. (source)

John Foster Dulles, Whig, Class of 1908. As Secretary of State, one of the most famous diplomats of the 20th century. (source) (source)

Allen W. Dulles, Whig, Class of 1914. Diplomat, second Director of the Council on Foreign Relations, first civilian CIA Director.  (source)

F. Scott Fitzgerald, Whig, Class of 1917. Contributor to the Nassau Literary Magazine. One of the most famous American authors of the 20th century. (source) (source)

Adlai E. Stevenson, Whig, Class of 1922. Thirty-first governor of Illinois, fifth Ambassador to the United Nations (during the Cuban Missile Crisis), two-time presidential candidate. (source)

Claiborne Pell, unknown (presumed Whig), class of 1940. Senator (longest-serving senator in Rhode Island’s history), author of the Federal Pell Grant program. (source)

John Rawls, unknown, class of 1943. First treasurer of Whig-Clio’s Madison Debating Society. One of the most influential political philosopher of the 20th century. (source)

Donald E. Stokes, Class of 1951. Dean of the Woodrow Wilson School, one of the giants of 20th century social science.

Paul S. Sarbanes, unknown, Class of 1954. Senator (longest-serving senator in Maryland’s history), co-sponsor of the Sarbanes–Oxley Act. (source)

Ralph Nader, unknown, Class of 1955. Political activist, presidential candidate. (source)

Thomas Kean, unknown (presumed Clio), Class of 1957. Speaker of the New Jersey Assembly, forty-eighth Governor of New Jersey, chaired the 9/11 Commission. (source)

Joseph S. Nye, Jr., unknown, Class of 1958. One of the most influential international relations scholars of the 20th century (pioneered the concept of soft power). (source)

Booth Tarkington, unknown, Class of 1893. Contributor to the Nassau Literary Magazine. One of only three novelists to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction more than once. (source)

Mitch Daniels, unknown, Class of 1971. Forty-ninth Governor of Indiana.

Samuel Alito, unknown, Class of 1972. President of the Whig-Clio Debate Panel. 110th Supreme Court Justice. (source)

Ted Cruz, Clio (Chair), Class of 1992. Chair of the Cliosphic Society, education director for the Debate Panel. Senator, Texas Solicitor General. (source)

Ramesh Ponnuru, unknown, Class of 1995. Senior editor for the National Review. (source)

Jason Goldman, unknown, Class of 1999. President of the Whig-Clio Debate Panel. Google and Twitter executive. (source)

Honorary Members

In the past, the Society has also extended invitations to non-Princetonians to join the Society. Below are just a few of the many prolific members that have accepted the invitation.

Eliphalet Nott, Clio, inducted 1816. Fourth President of Union College. (source)

Jeremiah Day, Clio, inducted 1817. Fifth President of Yale University. (source)

James Monroe, Clio, inducted 1817. Founding Father, Secretary of State, Secretary of War, Fifth President of the United States. (source)

William Wirt, Clio, inducted 1819. Ninth Attorney General (longest serving in American history), arguing in Gibbons v. Ogden, McCulloch v. Maryland, and Worcester v. Georgia. (source)

James Buchanan, Whig, inducted 1820. Senator, Secretary of State, Fifteenth President of the United States. (source)

Edward Everett, Clio, inducted 1836. U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, the fifteenth Governor of Massachusetts, Minister to Great Britain, and United States Secretary of State. (source)

Andrew Jackson, Whig, inducted 1838. Seventh President of the United States. (source)

Mark Twain, Clio, inducted 1901. One of the most influential American authors of the 19th century. (source)

Speakers

Never afraid to invite controversy, the Society has often invited famous (or soon-to-be famous) leaders, authors, and scholars. Below are just a few of the many orators that have spoken at the Society’s Halls.

Harry Lee Franklin, Prominent anti-Nazi academic, spoke in 1935 on the problems of Nazism. (source)

John F. Kennedy, A newly-elected senator and later president, spoke in 1954 on the Eisenhower Administration’s foreign policy. (source)

Wayne Morse, Prominent anti-Vietnam senator, spoke in 1954 on the Eisenhower Administration’s foreign policy. (source)

Alger Hiss, Accused Soviet spy, spoke in 1956. (source)

James “Scotty” Reston, Famed New York Times journalist, spoke in 1957 on reporting as history. (source)

Herbert Block, Well-known editorial cartoonist, spoke in 1957 on reporting as history. (source)

Frank Church, Senator who later led the famous Church Committee, spoke in 1959. (source)

Sam Ervin, Prominent anti-McCarthyist and later the head of a Watergate investigation, spoke in 1959. (source)

George Kennan, Famous diplomat and the father of containment, spoke in 1959. (source)

Thurgood Marshall, Chief Council for the NAACP and later Supreme Court justice, spoke in 1959. (source)

William B. Scranton, Governor of Pennsylvania and ambassador to the UN, spoke in 1967. (source)

William Rusher, Publisher of the National Review, spoke in 1967. (source)

Daniel Ellsberg, Who later leaked the Pentagon Papers, spoke in 1971. (source)

Thomas Eagleton, Senator and vice-presidential candidate, spoke in 1972. (source)