Elihu

Elihu, founded in 1903, is the sixth oldest secret society at Yale University, New Haven, CT. While similar to Skull and Bones, Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head societies in charter and function, Elihu favors privacy over overt secrecy. Founded in 1903 as "the first non-secret senior society," Elihu held itself up as a model of openness at a time "when prestige of membership in a senior society was reaching its zenith." To this end, Elihu is the on... more

Elihu, founded in 1903, is the sixth oldest secret society at Yale University, New Haven, CT. While similar to Skull and Bones, Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head societies in charter and function, Elihu favors privacy over overt secrecy. Founded in 1903 as "the first non-secret senior society," Elihu held itself up as a model of openness at a time "when prestige of membership in a senior society was reaching its zenith." To this end, Elihu is the only society whose building, located at 175 Elm Street, has windows, though they are shaded. Like the other societies, the organization's building is closed to non-members. Elihu is likely the first society to tap an undergraduate from an ethnic minority, Henry Roe Cloud, a Native American who graduated in 1910, in keeping with its reputation for diversity. It was also one of the first senior societies to tap women. It takes its name from Elihu Yale, the founder of Yale College. According to the only public description of the organization, Elihu... less