The Metropolitan Club of the City of Washington is a private club in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' called it "Washington's oldest and most exclusive club".

History

On October 1, 1863, six

U.S. Treasury Department The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an executive department. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and ...

officials met to discuss the creation of a social and literary club in Washington, D.C. The Metropolitan Club officially organized twelve days later, with 43 members. The first year, dues were $50. The club's first board of governors included Robert J. Atkinson, Samuel Yorke Atlee, George E. Baker, Spencer M. Clark, Augustine Edwards, John Lorimer Graham, J. Smith Homans, Judge James Hughes,

William Hemphill Jones William Hemphill Jones (October 26, 1811 – April 30, 1880) was an American politician in Delaware. Jones, eldest son of Morgan and Mary (Hemphill) Jones, was born in Wilmington, Delaware, Wilmington, Del., October 26, 1811. Jones graduated ...

, Edward Jordon, S. H. Kauffman, Charles Knap, Hugh McCullough,

George W. Riggs George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

, John G. Stephenson, and Charles M. Walker. On June 25, 1883, the club acquired a lot on the corner of H Street and 17th Streets for $10. Later In 1883, the club moved into the first purpose-built structure for a club in Washington, D.C. Designed by the architects W. Bruce Gray and Harvey L. Page, the Victorian-style, four-story building was destroyed in a fire in 1904. From 1905 to 1908, the Metropolitan Club met in various rental properties. Metropolitan Club (2022)

The club's current home, designed by the architectural firm of

Heins & LaFarge Heins & LaFarge was a New York-based architectural firm composed of the Philadelphia-born architect George Lewis Heins (1860–1907) and Christopher Grant LaFarge (1862–1938), the eldest son of the artist John La Farge. They were respons ...

of New York, was built from 1904 to 1908. The brick and limestone

Renaissance revival Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...

building was rebuilt on the 1700 H Street NW lot, two blocks from the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

. In 1925, a two-story annex designed by Frederick H. Brooke of Donn and Deming was added. Inside the five-story building, there is a lobby, coat room, card room, a library with 15,000 books, a grill room, a lounge, a dining room, sleeping quarters, and a barbershop. There is also a steam room, an exercise room, and two squash courts. Another room serves as a museum, honoring the governors. Other spaces are for offices, the kitchen, and the wine cellar. Here,

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

plotted the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

. During the Watergate era,

Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...

would regularly meet there with ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' journalist

James Reston James Barrett Reston (November 3, 1909 – December 6, 1995), nicknamed "Scotty", was an American journalist whose career spanned the mid-1930s to the early 1990s. He was associated for many years with ''The New York Times.'' Early lif ...

. To ensure confidentiality of such meetings, the club prohibits the use of cell phones or note taking at the tables. The Metropolitan Club building was listed on the

District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites The District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites is a register of historic places in Washington, D.C. that are designated by the District of Columbia Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB), a component of the District of Columbia Govern ...

since 1964 and it was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1995. in April 2021, the club opened a new open-air rooftop venue, an $11 million project. The space is used for live music, private functions, and smoking cigars.

Membership

For its first century, the members of the club refused to accept non-white people as members. In 1961, thirty members quit in protest, including Attorney General

Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925June 6, 1968), also known by his initials RFK and by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, ...

. In 1972, the club started accepting Black members. Bishop John T. Walker was the first African American member. In 1983, there was a five-year waiting list for membership.

Reciprocal clubs

The Metropolitan Club has reciprocal agreements with the following: *

Boodle's Boodle's is a London gentlemen's club, founded in January 1762, at No. 50 Pall Mall, London, by Lord Shelburne, the future Marquess of Lansdowne and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. History The club was originally based next door to Wi ...

(London) *

Brooks's Brooks's is a gentlemen's club in St James's Street, London. It is one of the oldest and most exclusive gentlemen's clubs in the world. History In January 1762, a private society was established at 50 Pall Mall by Messrs. Boothby and James ...

(London) *

Cercle Royal du Parc The Cercle Royal du Parc is a Belgian gentlemen's club, located in Ixelles, with most members originating from nobility. History The Cercle Royal du Parc was founded in 1842 when a group of Belgicist noblemen left the Orangist Cercle de l'Union. ...

(Brussels) * Círculo de Armas (Buenos Aires) * Circolo della Caccia (Rome) *

Duquesne Club The Duquesne Club is a private social club in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, founded in 1873. History The Duquesne Club was founded in 1873. Its first president was John H. Ricketson. The club's present home, a Romanesque structure designed by Lon ...

(Pittsburgh) * Jockey Club für Österreich (Vienna) * Jockey Club (Paris) *

Knickerbocker Club The Knickerbocker Club (known informally as The Knick) is a gentlemen's club in New York City that was founded in 1871. It is considered to be the most exclusive club in the United States and one of the most aristocratic gentlemen's clubs in th ...

(New York) * Nuevo Club (Madrid)

Notable members

* Dean Acheson, secretary of state * Robert J. Atkinson, politician *

George Bancroft George Bancroft (October 3, 1800 – January 17, 1891) was an American historian, statesman and Democratic politician who was prominent in promoting secondary education both in his home state of Massachusetts and at the national and internati ...

, historian and statesman *

Edward Fitzgerald Beale Edward Fitzgerald "Ned" Beale (February 4, 1822 – April 22, 1893) was a national figure in the 19th-century United States. He was a naval officer, military general, explorer, frontiersman, Indian affairs superintendent, California rancher, ...

, ambassador, explorer, and surveyor * Francis Beverly Biddle, attorney general and Nuremberg judge *

Montgomery Blair Montgomery Blair (May 10, 1813 – July 27, 1883) was an American politician and lawyer from Maryland. He served in the Lincoln administration cabinet as Postmaster-General from 1861 to 1864, during the Civil War. He was the son of Francis Pres ...

, politician, lawyer, and postmaster-general *

Rupert Blue Rupert Lee Blue (May 30, 1868 – April 12, 1948) was an American physician and soldier. He was the fourth Surgeon General of the United States from 1912 to 1920. He served as president of the American Medical Association in 1916–17. Biog ...

, surgeon general * Phillip Bonsal, ambassador *

Stephen Bonsal Stephen Bonsal (March 29, 1865 – June 8, 1951) was an American journalist, war correspondent, author, diplomat, and translator, who won the 1945 Pulitzer Prize for History. Early life Bonsal was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1865. He was e ...

, journalist and diplomat * Count Arnaud de Borchgrave, journalist * David K.E. Bruce, diplomat * Edward Burling, attorney *

John Lee Carroll John Lee Carroll (September 30, 1830 – February 27, 1911), a member of the United States Democratic Party, was the 37th Governor of Maryland from 1876 to 1880. Early life Carroll was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Col. Charles Carr ...

, governor of Maryland *

Salmon P. Chase Salmon Portland Chase (January 13, 1808May 7, 1873) was an American politician and jurist who served as the sixth chief justice of the United States. He also served as the 23rd governor of Ohio, represented Ohio in the United States Senate, a ...

, treasury secretary and chief justice *

Lucius Eugene Chittenden Lucius Eugene Chittenden (May 24, 1824 – July 22, 1900) was an American author, banker, lawyer, politician and peace advocate who served as Register of the Treasury during the Lincoln administration. Early life Chittenden was born in Willisto ...

, register of the treasury * Spencer M. Clark, superintendent of the National Currency Bureau * William T. Coleman, transportation secretary * William Wilson Corcoran, banker and art collector * Viscomte Henri de Sibour, architect *

George Dewey George Dewey (December 26, 1837January 16, 1917) was Admiral of the Navy, the only person in United States history to have attained that rank. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War, with ...

, admiral of the Navy * T. Coleman du Pont, senator * Allen Dulles,

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

director *

William Crowninshield Endicott William Crowninshield Endicott (November 19, 1826 – May 6, 1900) was an American politician and Secretary of War in the first administration of President Grover Cleveland (1885–1889). Early life Endicott was born in Salem, Massachusetts o ...

, secretary of war * Rowland Evans, journalist * James V. Forrestal, defense secretary * B. B. French, politician *

Hugh S. Gibson Hugh Simons Gibson (August 16, 1883 – December 12, 1954) was an American diplomat. He was actively involved in disarmament talks from 1925 to 1932. Throughout his career, he remained a leading proponent in the drive to establish a professional F ...

, diplomat * George H. Goodrich, judge * James Lorimer Graham Jr., attorney *

Katharine Graham Katharine Meyer Graham (June 16, 1917 – July 17, 2001) was an American newspaper publisher. She led her family's newspaper, ''The Washington Post'', from 1963 to 1991. Graham presided over the paper as it reported on the Watergate scandal, whi ...

, publisher *

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

, president, general * Cary T. Grayson, physician * Joseph C. Grew, ambassador *

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...

, president * John Hay, secretary of state * James L. Holloway III, admiral *

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...

, president *

Hallett Johnson Hallett C. Johnson, also known as Francis Hallett Johnson (November 26, 1888 – August 11, 1968) was an American career diplomat and ambassador to Costa Rica. He served in the United States Foreign Service for 36 years. Early life Johnson wa ...

, ambassador *

Reverdy Johnson Reverdy Johnson (May 21, 1796February 10, 1876) was a statesman and jurist from Maryland. He gained fame as a defense attorney, defending notables such as Sandford of the Dred Scott case, Maj. Gen. Fitz John Porter at his court-martial, and Mary ...

, politician *

, politician * Edward Jordan, solicitor of the treasury *

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

, president * Jerome H. Kidder, surgeon and astronomer *

, diplomat and statesman * Philander Chase Knox, secretary of state * Ward H. Lamon, marshal of Washington *

William Henry Fitzhugh Lee William Henry Fitzhugh Lee (May 31, 1837 – October 15, 1891), known as Rooney Lee (often spelled "Roony" among friends and family) or W. H. F. Lee, was the second son of General Robert E. Lee and Mary Anna Custis. He was a planter, a Confed ...

, congressman * Joseph J. Lewis, IRS commissioner *

Robert Todd Lincoln Robert Todd Lincoln (August 1, 1843 – July 26, 1926) was an American lawyer, businessman, and politician. He was the eldest son of President Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln. Robert Lincoln became a business lawyer and company presi ...

, ambassador and secretary of war *

Walter Lippman Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 1 ...

, journalist *

Henry Cabot Lodge Henry Cabot Lodge (May 12, 1850 November 9, 1924) was an American Republican politician, historian, and statesman from Massachusetts. He served in the United States Senate from 1893 to 1924 and is best known for his positions on foreign policy. ...

, statesman *

Nicholas Longworth Nicholas Longworth III (November 5, 1869 – April 9, 1931) was an American politician who became Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. He was a Republican. A lawyer by training, he was elected to the Ohio Senate, where he ini ...

III, speaker of the House *

Henry Loomis Henry Loomis (April 19, 1919 – November 2, 2008) was an American physicist and broadcasting executive. He was director of Voice of America from 1958 to 1965, and president of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting from 1972 to 1978. Early y ...

, director of Voice of America and president of the Corp. for Public Broadcasting *

Arthur MacArthur Jr. Arthur MacArthur Jr. (June 2, 1845 – September 5, 1912) was a lieutenant general of the United States Army. He became the military Governor-General of the American-occupied Philippines in 1900; his term ended a year later due to clashes w ...

, general *

Alfred Thayer Mahan Alfred Thayer Mahan (; September 27, 1840 – December 1, 1914) was a United States naval officer and historian, whom John Keegan called "the most important American strategist of the nineteenth century." His book '' The Influence of Sea Powe ...

, historian and naval theorist *

George C. Marshall George Catlett Marshall Jr. (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the US Army under Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry ...

, secretary of state *

John J. McCloy John Jay McCloy (March 31, 1895 – March 11, 1989) was an American lawyer, diplomat, banker, and a presidential advisor. He served as Assistant Secretary of War during World War II under Henry Stimson, helping deal with issues such as German sa ...

, chairman of the World Bank *

Robert McNamara Robert Strange McNamara (; June 9, 1916 – July 6, 2009) was an American business executive and the eighth United States Secretary of Defense, serving from 1961 to 1968 under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He remains the ...

, defense secretary, president of the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...

Andrew Mellon Andrew William Mellon (; March 24, 1855 – August 26, 1937), sometimes A. W. Mellon, was an American banker, businessman, industrialist, philanthropist, art collector, and politician. From the wealthy Mellon family of Pittsburgh, Pennsylv ...

, Treasury Secretary and philanthropist * Paul Mellon, horse breeder and philanthropist * Livingston T. Merchant, ambassador *

Nelson Appleton Miles Nelson Appleton Miles (August 8, 1839 – May 15, 1925) was an American military general (United States), general who served in the American Civil War, the American Indian Wars, and the Spanish–American War. From 1895 to 1903, Miles served a ...

, general *

J. P. Morgan John Pierpont Morgan Sr. (April 17, 1837 – March 31, 1913) was an American financier and investment banker who dominated corporate finance on Wall Street throughout the Gilded Age. As the head of the banking firm that ultimately became known ...

, financier * Henry Morgenthau Jr., treasury secretary * Francis G. Newlands, senator * Kichisaburo Nomura, Japanese ambassador * John J. Pershing, General of the Armies * John E. Pillsbury, rear admiral * David Dixon Porter, admiral * James "Scotty" Reston, journalist *

George Washington Riggs George Washington Riggs (July 4, 1813 – August 24, 1881) was an American businessman and banker. He was known as "The President's Banker." He was a trustee of the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Peabody Education Fund. Early life Riggs was ...

, banker *

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

, president *

, president * Elihu Root, secretary of state * John McAllister Schofield, secretary of war * Alexander Shepherd, governor of Washington, D.C. *

John Sherman John Sherman (May 10, 1823October 22, 1900) was an American politician from Ohio throughout the Civil War and into the late nineteenth century. A member of the Republican Party, he served in both houses of the U.S. Congress. He also served as ...

, senator *

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...

, general * John G. Stephenson, librarian of Congress *

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

, president and chief justice *

Richard Wallach Richard Wallach (April 3, 1816 – March 4, 1881) was an American politician who served as the nineteenth and first Republican Mayor of Washington, D.C. History Wallach was born in Alexandria, Virginia in 1816, when it was still part of the Di ...

, mayor of Washington, D.C. * John T. Walker, bishop * James M. Wayne, supreme court justice *

George Washington Vanderbilt II George Washington Vanderbilt II (November 14, 1862 – March 6, 1914) was an art collector and member of the prominent Vanderbilt family, which amassed a huge fortune through steamboats, railroads, and various business enterprises. He commission ...

, art collector * James W. Wadsworth, senator * William B. Webb, politician, chief of police in Washington D.C. *

George Peabody Wetmore George Peabody Wetmore (August 2, 1846September 11, 1921) was an American politician who was the 37th Governor of, and a Senator from, Rhode Island. Early life George Peabody Wetmore was born in London, England, during a visit of his parents ...

, governor of Rhode Island * Henry White, ambassador, and one of the signers of the

Treaty of Versailles The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...

John Lorimer Worden John Lorimer Worden (March 12, 1818 – October 19, 1897) was a U.S. Navy officer in the American Civil War, who took part in the Battle of Hampton Roads, the first-ever engagement between ironclad steamships at Hampton Roads, Virginia, on 9 Mar ...

, rear admiral

References

External links

*Th
Metropolitan Club of the City of Washington website"Writings of Walter Lippmann", broadcast from the Metropolitan Club
from C-SPAN's '' American Writers'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Metropolitan Club Washington D.C. 1863 establishments in Washington, D.C. Buildings and structures completed in 1908 Clubhouses in Washington, D.C. Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C. Gentlemen's clubs in the United States Clubs and societies in Washington, D.C. 1908 establishments in Washington, D.C. Upper class culture in the United States Heins and LaFarge buildings