Home > Phi Beta Kappa Society

Famous Phi Betes include:

• Laurie Anderson
• Alexander Graham Bell
• Leonard Bernstein
• Jeff Bezos
• George H. W. Bush
• Jeb Bush
• Bill Clinton
• Glenn Close
• Elizabeth Dole
• W. E. B. Du Bois
• Christie Hefner
• William Rehnquist
• Condoleezza RiceCondoleezza Rice Ph. informally Condi Rice (born November 14, 1954), became United States National Security Advisor to President George W. Bush on January 22, 2001. She is the second African American (after Colin Powell) and the first female National Secu
• Stephen SondheimStephen Joshua Sondheim (born March 22, 1930) is an American musical theater lyricist and composer. Early Life Sondheim was born in New York City and grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and later on a farm in Pennsylvania. An only child in a well-
• Susan SontagSusan Sontag (born January 28, 1933) is a well-known American essayist and novelist. Sontag was in born in New York City, grew up in Tucson, Arizona, and attended high school in Los Angeles. She received her B. from the College of the University of Chicag
• David SouterDavid Hackett Souter (born September 17, 1939) has been a US Supreme Court Associate Justice since 1990. He filled the seat vacated by William J. Souter was born in Melrose, Massachusetts. He was the only child of Joseph A. Souter and Helen Hackett Souter
• Gloria SteinemGloria Steinem (born March 25, 1934) is a US feminist and journalist and a spokeswoman for women's rights. Gloria Marie Steinem was born in Toledo, Ohio. Her father was an antiques salesman who traveled in a trailer all around the USA buying and selling w
• Julie TaymorThere are several women named Julie Taymor. Julie Taymor ( December 15, 1952 ) is a critically acclaimed director on Broadway and in film: she is known for her visual flair and brilliantly colorful costuming choices. Born in Newton, Massachusetts, Taymor
• William Monroe TrotterWilliam Monroe Trotter ( 1872- 1934), born Springfield Township, Ohio, was an African-American newspaper editor and protest leader. He graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard University in 1895. In 1899, he married Geraldine Louise Pinde
• Mark TwainSamuel Langhorne Clemens ( November 30, 1835- April 21, 1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain was a famous and popular American humorist, writer and lecturer. Mark Twain was also a steamboat pilot, gold prospector, and journalist. At his peak, he
• John Updike

ΦΒΚ, the first Greek- letter fraternity, began as a secret literary and philosophical society at the College of William and Mary. The second chapter was established at Harvard University on December 4, 1779, and the third at Yale University on December 8 of the same year. Subsequent chapters were established at Dartmouth College in 1787, Union College in 1817, Bowdoin College in 1825, and Brown University in 1830. Secrecy was jettisoned during a period of strong anti- Masonic sentiment, in 1831.

By the time of the establishment of the United Chapters of Phi Beta Kappa in 1883, there were 25 chapters in total. The first women were elected at the University of Vermont in 1875, and the first black member was elected at the same institution two years later.

Each chapter is designated by its state and a Greek letter indicating the order in which that state's chapters were founded. As an example, Alpha of Pennsylvania is at Dickinson College (1887); Beta of Pennsylvania, at Lehigh University (later in 1887); Gamma of Pennsylvania, at Lafayette College (1890); and Delta of Pennsylvania, at the University of Pennsylvania (1892).

In 1988, the United Chapters of Phi Beta Kappa officially changed its name to The Phi Beta Kappa Society.

As of 2004, there are 270 chapters and over half a million living members.

Phi Beta Kappa (ΦΒΚ) stands for Φιλοσοφια Βιου Κυβερνετης (philosophia biou kubernetes), "Love of wisdom, the guide of life."