Union League of Philadelphia

The Union League of Philadelphia is a private club founded in 1862 by the Old Philadelphians as a patriotic society to support the policies of Abraham Lincoln. As of 2022, the club has over 4,000 members. Its main building was built in 1865 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Union League clubs, which are legally separate but share similar histories and maintain reciprocal links with one another, are also located in Manhattan, Chicago, Brooklyn, and formerly in New Haven, Connecticut. Since its founding, it has supported the U.S. Armed Forces in all conflicts. Initially, like most 19th and early 20th-century clubs, the Union League of Philadelphia was only open to White men exclusive to white men, but it started accepting Black members in 1972 and women in the 1980s. The club's Center City, Philadelphia building, a Second Empire-style structure, was completed in 1865 and later expanded in 1910 and 1911. Over the years, the club has acquired several properties, including golf clubs, and established the Legacy Foundation for public education in 2019. A politically conservative club, it has faced criticism for awarding figures such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis with a gold medal. History The Union League of Philadelphia was founded on November 22, 1862, as a patriotic society to support the Union and the policies of President Abraham Lincoln. It laid the philosophical foundation for other Union Leagues that were later developed during the American Civil War. The Union League has supported the United States Armed Forces in all conflicts since. Its motto is "Amor Patriae Ducit" or "Love of Country Leads." Today, it is the oldest of the remaining loyalty leagues. 19th and 20th centuries Like most 19th and early 20th-century clubs, the Union League of Philadelphia was only open to white men. However, in 1972, the club admitted William Thaddeus Coleman Jr. as its first Black member. The following decade, in 1983, it admitted its first female member: Mary Roebling. The club's Center City Philadelphia building, a Second Empire-style structure with a brick and brownstone façade was designed by John Fraser and completed in May 1865. The opening was originally scheduled for March of that year, with President Lincoln in attendance, but was delayed due to wartime construction supply shortages. Christopher Stuart Patterson, formerly the Dean of the University of Pennsylvania Law School, was the 13th President of the Union League in 1897 and 1898. In 1905, Philadelphia architect and Union League member Horace Trumbauer won a design competition to build major additions to the building. The Beaux Arts-style additions, completed in 1910 and 1911, expanded the length of the building to an entire city block. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The club has a Heritage Center to store and display its extensive collection of Civil War-related documents and objects. It also maintains a large library for members. 21st century In 2010, the Union League elected Joan Carter, its first female president. In 2014, the club purchased the Torresdale-Frankford Country Club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and renamed it the Union League Golf Club at Torresdale. In 2017, the club purchased the Sand Barrens Golf Club in Swainton, New Jersey, and renamed it the Union League National Golf Club. The club has been giving out scholarships and public education on Philadelphia and the American Civil War since the 1940s. In 2019, it combined these efforts by founding the Legacy Foundation with the goal of "inspiring more educated, engaged, and responsible citizens." In 2021, the club purchased the Ace Club and Conference Center (formerly the Chubb Insurance Conference Center) in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania, and renamed it the Union League Golf Club at Liberty Hill. In 2022, the Union League celebrated its 160th anniversary through 160 Acts of Patriotism in and around Philadelphia benefitting several local community-based organizations. The organization is considered to be politically conservative. It drew criticism from some prominent members for giving a gold medal, the same award it gave to Lincoln, to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in 2022. Other recipients of the award include George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Donald Rumsfeld. The club has awarded other figures in American politics and law, including Jeff Sessions, Clarence Thomas, and Samuel Alito. Notable members Members of the Philadelphia Union League included Cyrus McCormick, Robert Todd Lincoln, Adolph E. Borie, Daniel Burnham, William D. Boyce, Charles D. Barney, and George J. Smith. Harry S. McDevitt Gallery See also Union League Club of Chicago Union League Club of New York Union League Golf and Country Club List of American gentlemen's clubs Old Philadelphians References Notes Bibliography Fleming, Walter L. ed. Documentary History of Reconstruction: Political, Military, Social, Religious, Educational, and Industrial (1906). vol 2 pp 1–29. Union League of Philadelphia, The League (1909) External links Official website The Heritage Center of The Union League of Philadelphia The Union League Club of New York The Union League Club of Chicago Union League Of Philadelphia Tour on YouTube Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. PA-1626, "Union League of Philadelphia, 140 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA", 2 photos, 1 measured drawing, 5 data pages, 1 photo caption page