Gamma Eta Gamma

Gamma Eta Gamma () is a professional law fraternity and was a member of the Professional Fraternity Association.

Chapters are limited to law schools on the approved list of the American Bar Association.

History

Gamma Eta Gamma was founded on February 25, 1901 at the University of Maine School of Law. By 1976 it had 33 charters and over 7,000 initiates.

From the beginning the Fraternity exhorted its members to a high degree of personal and professional conduct. At founding, the three men who established the Fraternity wrote in their own handwriting into the preamble of its constitution:

''"We the undersigned students of the Law School of the University of Maine, with a view of establishing on this and other schools of law, as well as in the general practice of the profession, an elevated standard of personal deportment, a high code of professional ethics and a broad and catholic development of mental culture and moral character, do associate ourselves in the lasting bonds of a fraternal union under the name of Gamma Eta Gamma."''

The pledge manual included chapters on how to study law effectively, a chapter on etiquette, and general fraternity information.

Founders

The founders were:
*Charles Vey Holman
*Charles Hickson Reid, Jr.
*Harold Dudley Greeley.

Conventions and Government

The convention, called a "Witan", was at first held annually beginning in 1901. Later this shifted to a biennial basis, with province conferences held in off years.

While the Fraternity had multiple chapters, in the interim between conventions, management responsibilities were held by a council of twelve members called the "Curia," consisting of four elective executive officers and officials from the eight provinces of the fraternity. Eight of these twelve leaders were required to be alumni.

By 2017, there was one remaining active chapter, at the University of Minnesota Law School.

Governance is now held by this successor chapter, managed as an informal, local fraternity with cooperative housing, in Minneapolis.The Minnesota chapter'
University portal provided additional information
accessed 6 Sept 2020.

Traditions and Insignia

Founders' Day is generally held on the anniversary of founding, February 25. However some chapters celebrated the ''Prandium Cancellari'' on June 7, which was the date of the fraternity's first banquet in 1901.

The badge is a shield with a lamp, a star and a ''Roman fasces'' or bundle, above the motto. A triangle encloses the letter with on both sides and below a balance. The official badge contains 20 pearls surrounding the shield. The outgoing president, or High Chancellor is awarded a badge with a diamond border.

The pledge pin is a circular button, with the letters appearing in a circle on a red field, imposed on a triangle, with the rest of the button in black.

There is a ''fasces'' key, in gold, for alumni graduated with a degree in law, with the letters of the Fraternity name on the face of the key.

The colors of the Fraternity are red and black.

Chapter list

Chapter information from Baird's Manual. Inactive groups indicated by ''italics,'' the active chapter in bold. Where known, dates of inactivity are noted. The only active chapter is ''Chi chapter'' at Minnesota, which maintains active membership for law students.
*1901 - ''Alpha, University of Maine School of Law''
*1902 - ''Beta, Boston University School of Law''
*1904 - ''Gamma, Albany Law School''
*1908 - ''Delta, Syracuse University College of Law (1932)''
*1909 - ''Epsilon, Cornell Law School (1918)''
*1911 - ''Zeta, University of Michigan Law School (1929)''
*1911 - ''Eta, Indiana University Maurer School of Law''
*1912 - ''Theta, Creighton University School of Law''
*1914 - ''Iota, Georgetown University Law Center''
*1915 - ''Kappa. University of Oregon School of Law (1917)''
*1919 - ''Lambda, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law''
*1919 - ''Mu, University of Detroit Mercy School of Law''
*1920 - ''Nu, University of Chicago Law School''
*1920 - ''Xi, Fordham University School of Law''
*1920 - ''Omicron, University of Maryland, Law''
*1921 - ''Pi, University of Illinois College of Law (1931)''
*1922 - ''Rho, Ohio State University Moritz College of Law''
*1922 - ''Sigma, USC Gould School of Law''
*1922 - ''Tau, Vanderbilt University (1928)''
*1923 - ''Upsilon, University of Wisconsin–Madison''
*1923 - ''Phi, University of Iowa''
*1924 - Chi, Current Alpha University of Minnesota Law School
*1925 - ''Omega, Washington University in St. Louis (MO) (1929)''
*1927 - ''Beta Gamma, Wake Forest University''
*1929 - ''Beta Delta, Duke University''
*1930 - ''Beta Epsilon, LSU''
*1930 - ''Beta Zeta, Case Western Reserve University''
*1931 - ''Beta Eta, George Washington University''
*1931 - ''Beta Kappa Catholic University''
*1931 - ''Beta Theta Santa Clara University School of Law''
*1934 - ''Beta Mu, DePaul University''
*1950 - ''Beta Nu, University of Virginia''

See also

* Order of the Coif (honor society, law)
* The Order of Barristers (honor society, law; litigation)
* Phi Delta Phi (honor society, law; was a professional fraternity)
* Alpha Phi Sigma (honor society, criminal justice)
* Lambda Epsilon Chi (honor society, paralegal)

* Delta Theta Phi (professional fraternity, law)
* Phi Alpha Delta (professional fraternity, law)
* Phi Beta Gamma (professional fraternity, law)
* Phi Delta Delta (professional fraternity, women, law)
* Sigma Delta Kappa (professional fraternity, law)
* Kappa Alpha Pi (professional) (professional fraternity, pre-law)

* Kappa Beta Pi (originally women's professional fraternity, now legal association, law)
* Nu Beta Epsilon (Jewish, originally men's professional fraternity, law, dormant?)

References

{{Authority control

Student organizations established in 1901
Professional legal fraternities and sororities in the United States
Former members of Professional Fraternity Association
1901 establishments in Maine