The Alibi Club is a private, traditional
private club in
Washington, D.C. Its members consist of the Washington elite, including presidents, senators,
and diplomats,
[ among other prominent figures.
]
History
In 1884, seven Washingtonians founded the Alibi Club, a private social club consisting of prominent political and social figures. Its name derived from the club practice of providing an alibi when the whereabouts of a member was questioned by the member's family. The club's founding purpose was to foster "mutual improvement, education, and enlightenment" among members of Washington society. Membership also extended to out of town figures from New York City, Boston and Philadelphia, most likely to share information between communities and help in the development of strategies to address civic issues. Throughout its history, it has hosted numerous world leaders, including King Leopold of Belgium, Prince Albert of Belgium, Prince Henry of Prussia
Prince Henry of Prussia can refer to:
*Prince Henry of Prussia (1726–1802)
*Prince Henry of Prussia (1747–1767)
*Prince Henry of Prussia (1781–1846)
*Prince Henry of Prussia (1862–1929)
*Prince Henry of Prussia (1900–1904)
Prince Henry ...
, and Viceroy Li Hung Chang.[
]
Clubhouse
The first clubhouse was situated at 17th and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. Since 1886, the club has occupied a three-story, brick townhouse blocks away from the White House. The clubhouse is furnished with donated memorabilia and artifacts that cover nearly every available section of wall on the first two floors. The clubhouse is also notable as a well-preserved example of residential architecture in a commercial district, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 21, 1994.[ In 2018 the building was listed as a vacant property.]
Membership
Membership is limited to fifty, with new members admitted upon unanimous vote after the death of a previous member. Membership is not revealed to outsiders, and the first public notice of membership is often in a member's obituary.[
Some of the Alibi Club's most prominent members have included: President ]George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...
,Prescott Bush
Prescott Sheldon Bush (May 15, 1895 – October 8, 1972) was an American banker as a Wall Street executive investment banker, he represented Connecticut in the from 1952 of the Bush family, he was the father of former Vice President and Pre ...
, Supreme Court Justices Potter Stewart and Stanley F. Reed, Allen Dulles
Allen Welsh Dulles (, ; April 7, 1893 – January 29, 1969) was the first civilian Director of Central Intelligence (DCI), and its longest-serving director to date. As head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) during the early Cold War, he ov ...
and John Foster Dulles
John Foster Dulles (, ; February 25, 1888 – May 24, 1959) was an American diplomat, lawyer, and Republican Party politician. He served as United States Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1959 and was briefly ...
, Speaker of the House Nicholas Longworth, and General George C. Marshall.[
*]David M. Abshire
David Manker Abshire (April 11, 1926 – October 31, 2014) served as a Special Counselor to President Ronald Reagan and was the United States Permanent Representative to NATO from 1983 to 1987. Abshire presided over the Center for the Study of th ...
[ Pg. 35]
*Dean Acheson
Dean Gooderham Acheson (pronounced ; April 11, 1893October 12, 1971) was an American statesman and lawyer. As the 51st U.S. Secretary of State, he set the foreign policy of the Harry S. Truman administration from 1949 to 1953. He was also Truman ...
*Theodore Achilles
Theodore Carter Achilles (December 29, 1905 – April 8, 1986) was an American diplomat who served as Ambassador to Peru.
Biography
Achilles was born 29 December 1905 in Rochester, New York, to Gertrude Strong, the daughter of Eastman Kodak p ...
* Lamar Alexander[
* Larz Anderson][
* Warren R. Austin][
* Gist Blair][
* Robert Woods Bliss][
* Frederick N. Brooke][
*]David K.E. Bruce
David Kirkpatrick Este Bruce (February 12, 1898 – December 5, 1977) was an American diplomat, intelligence officer and politician. He served as ambassador to France, the Federal Republic of Germany, and the United Kingdom, the only American ...
[
*]George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...
[
*]Prescott Bush
Prescott Sheldon Bush (May 15, 1895 – October 8, 1972) was an American banker as a Wall Street executive investment banker, he represented Connecticut in the from 1952 of the Bush family, he was the father of former Vice President and Pre ...
[
* George E. Corcoran][
* Thomas Gardiner Corcoran][
* Dwight F. Davis][
*]Allen Dulles
Allen Welsh Dulles (, ; April 7, 1893 – January 29, 1969) was the first civilian Director of Central Intelligence (DCI), and its longest-serving director to date. As head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) during the early Cold War, he ov ...
[
*]John Foster Dulles
John Foster Dulles (, ; February 25, 1888 – May 24, 1959) was an American diplomat, lawyer, and Republican Party politician. He served as United States Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1959 and was briefly ...
[
* James Dunn][
* Walter Edge][
*]George A. Garrett
George Angus Garrett (August 5, 1888 – September 29, 1971) was an American investment banker and diplomat. In April 1947, he was appointed minister to Ireland; in 1950, he became the first United States Ambassador to Ireland, a position he hel ...
[
* Charles C. Glover III][
* Gordon Gray][
*]Cary Grayson
Cary Travers Grayson (October 11, 1878 – February 15, 1938) was a surgeon in the United States Navy who served a variety of roles from personal aide to President Woodrow Wilson to chairman of the American Red Cross.
Career
Grayson was born to ...
* Joseph Grew[
* Alfred Gruenther][
* Frederick Hale][
* George Hamilton, Jr.][
* Nelson Hartson][
* Christian Herter][
* William Hibbs][
* Archibald Hopkins][
* Walter Bruce Howe][
* David B. Karrick][
*]Samuel Kaufman
Samuel Hamilton Kaufman (October 26, 1893 – May 5, 1960) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Education and career
Born in New York City, New York in a Jewish family, Ka ...
[
* John Kean][
*]Emory S. Land
Emory Scott Land (January 8, 1879 – November 27, 1971) was an officer in the United States Navy, noted for his contributions to naval architecture, particularly in submarine design. Notable assignments included serving as Chief of the Navy's Bu ...
* Nicholas Longworth[
* Robert A. Lovett][
* George C. Marshall][
* Clarence Moore][
*]John Lord O'Brian
John Lord O'Brian (October 14, 1874 – April 11, 1973) was an American lawyer who held public offices in the administrations of five U.S. presidents between 1909 and 1945. O'Brian has been recognized by scholars for his commitment to civil liberti ...
[
* Thomas Nelson Page][
* Stanley F. Reed][
* Henry Roosevelt][
*]Jules Henri de Sibour
Jules Gabriel Henri de Sibour (December 23, 1872 – November 4, 1938) was a French architect who worked in Washington, DC.
Early life
He was born in Paris, France, to Vicomte Gabriel de Sibour and Mary Louisa Johnson of Belfast, Maine. He mov ...
[
* Potter Stewart][
*]James W. Symington
James Wadsworth Symington (; born September 28, 1927) is an American lawyer and politician who represented Missouri from 1969 to 1977 as a four-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Prior to that, in the late 1960s, he served as Chief ...
* Maxwell Taylor[
* J.W. Wadsworth][
* John F. Wilkins][
*]Clarence R. Wilson Clarence may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Clarence County, New South Wales, a Cadastral division
* Clarence, New South Wales, a place near Lithgow
* Clarence River (New South Wales)
* Clarence Strait (Northern Territory)
* City of Clarence, a ...
[
* Blanton Winship][
* Jerauld Wright][
*]William M. Wright
William Mason Wright (September 24, 1863 – August 16, 1943) was a career officer in the United States Army. He attained the rank of lieutenant general and was most notable for his service as a division and corps commander during World War I.
E ...
[
*]Vishnu V. Ramaswamy
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
[
* John Adams Bross][
*]C. Boyden Gray
Clayland Boyden Gray (born February 6, 1943) is an American lawyer and former diplomat who served as White House Counsel from 1989 to 1993 and as U.S. Ambassador to the European Union from 2006 to 2007. He is a founding partner of the Washington, ...
[
]
See also
* List of traditional gentlemen's clubs in the United States
*
References
External links
*
{{National Register of Historic Places
1884 establishments in Washington, D.C.
Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C.
Clubs and societies in Washington, D.C.
Houses completed in 1869
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C.
Italianate architecture in Washington, D.C.
Gentlemen's clubs in the United States