Skull & Bones

Skull and Bones, legally incorporated as the Russell Trust Association, is the oldest and most notorious senior secret society at Yale University, founded in December 1832 by William Huntington Russell and Alphonso Taft. Originally called the Eulogian Club, its nearly two centuries of operation have produced three U.S. Presidents, numerous Senators, Cabinet members, CIA directors, Supreme Court Justices, and titans of industry and finance — making it the single most concentrated node of elite power formation in American higher education, operating from a windowless sandstone "tomb" at 64 High Street.

Definitions

Senior Society — A secret, invitation-only organization at Yale that "taps" (selects) fifteen rising seniors each spring to participate in private activities for their final year. Senior societies are privately owned, not affiliated with or governed by Yale University.

Tomb — The colloquial term for the windowless, fortress-like buildings that house Yale's senior societies. Skull and Bones' tomb at 64 High Street is the quintessential example: bare, symmetrical sandstone, imposing and full of macabre décor.

Russell Trust Association (RTA) — The legal corporate name of Skull and Bones' alumni trust, incorporated in 1856 by founder William Huntington Russell (as president) and Daniel Coit Gilman (as treasurer). It holds possession of the tomb and the society's private island, Deer Island.

Big Three — The three most prestigious Yale senior societies: Skull and Bones (1832), Scroll and Key (1842), and Wolf's Head (1883).

Ancient Eight — The eight oldest "landed" (building-owning) senior societies at Yale: Skull and Bones, Scroll and Key, Wolf's Head, Berzelius, Book and Snake, Elihu, Mace and Chain, and St. Elmo's.

Bonesmen — The informal title for members of Skull and Bones.

Order 322 / The Order / The Brotherhood of Death — Alternative names for Skull and Bones. The number 322 is believed to reference the year 322 BCE, when the Greek orator Demosthenes died — an event seen as a turning point from Athenian democracy to plutocracy.

Tapping — The ritual selection process by which current members choose juniors for membership. Historically, a prospective member was approached by a member holding a human skull and bone and asked: "Do you accept?"

Eulogian Club / Eulogia — The original private name for Skull and Bones, named for the goddess of eloquence.

Deer Island — A private island on the St. Lawrence River owned by the Russell Trust Association, used for summer retreats.

Historical Timeline

December 1832 — Founding

Skull and Bones was founded by William Huntington Russell (Class of 1833) and Alphonso Taft (Class of 1833), along with thirteen other members, after a dispute among Yale debating societies Linonia, Brothers in Unity, and the Calliopean Society over that season's Phi Beta Kappa awards.

Some sources conjecture that Russell modeled the society after European groups he encountered while studying in Germany.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Skull and Bones" — http://britannica.com/topic/Skull-and-Bones-Yale

Quote: "Skull and Bones was formed in 1832 by William Huntington Russell and Alphonso Taft. According to some accounts, the society was formed after a dispute over elections to Phi Beta Kappa."

1832–1856 — Early Growth and Campus Dominance

The society quickly exercised considerable influence on Yale. With only one exception, every Yale president from the mid-19th century through 1950 was a Bonesman.

Source: Study.com, "Skull and Bones Society | Order 322" — http://study.com/academy/lesson/skull-bones-history-overview-order-322.html

Quote: "With only one exception, every Yale president from the mid-19th century through 1950 was a 'Bonesman.'"

1856 — Incorporation as the Russell Trust Association

• Skull and Bones was incorporated as the Russell Trust Association. William H. Russell was named president and Daniel Coit Gilman (later founding president of Johns Hopkins University) became treasurer.
  • Source: "Yale, Skull and Bones, and the Beginnings of Johns Hopkins," PMC — http://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3012287/
  • Quote: "In 1856, Gilman was instrumental in incorporating Skull and Bones as the Russell Trust Association, which is the society's legal operating entity. The founder of Skull and Bones, William H. Russell, was named president and Gilman became the treasurer."

1856 — The Tomb is Built

• The first tomb was constructed at 64 High Street in brownstone, designed by Alexander Jackson Davis. It was the first freestanding building owned by any fraternal organization at Yale.
  • Source: New York Times, September 13, 1903, "Change in Skull and Bones" — http://nytimes.com/1903/09/13/archives/change-in-skull-and-bones-famous-yale-society-doubles-size-of-its.html
  • Quote: "The Skull and Bones society house was the oldest of the Yale senior society buildings. It was built in 1856, and is of brownstone."

1871 — Lyman Hotchkiss Bagg Publishes Four Years at Yale

The first extended public description of Skull and Bones appeared in Bagg's anonymously published book.

Source: Wikipedia, "Skull and Bones" — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skull_and_Bones

Quote: "The first extended description of Skull and Bones, published in 1871 by Lyman Bagg in his book Four Years at Yale, noted that 'the mystery now attending its existence forms the one great enigma which college gossip never tires of discussing.'"

1883 — Tomb Expansion

A rear wing was added to the tomb. An 1886 Denver Tribune-Republican article described the new wing's interior: "nicely fitted up, the walls are appropriately frescoed in lavender, maroon, and chrome tints with skulls and cross-bones in the panels."

Source: Yale Alumni Magazine, "Inside Skull and Bones" (May/Jun 2015) — http://yalealumnimagazine.org/articles/4075-inside-skull-and-bones

1903 — Tomb Doubled in Size

The tomb underwent a major expansion, doubling its footprint.

Source: New York Times, September 13, 1903.

1991 — Women Admitted

After contentious internal debate, Skull and Bones voted to admit women, ending 159 years as an exclusively male society.

Source: The Atlantic, "A Rebellion in Yale's Secret Societies" (January 2024) — http://theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2024/01/yale-skull-and-bones-secret-societies-diversity/677030/

2004 — Two Bonesmen Run for President

In the 2004 U.S. Presidential election, George W. Bush (Bones, Class of 1968) faced John Kerry (Bones, Class of 1966) — an unprecedented situation where both major-party nominees were members of the same secret society.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Skull and Bones."

2020 — First Entirely Non-White Class

Skull and Bones tapped its first entirely non-white class. The class of 2021 admitted no conservatives. The Atlantic described the society as having "utterly transformed."

Source: The Atlantic, "A Rebellion in Yale's Secret Societies" (January 2024).

Quote: "The society tapped its first entirely non-white class in 2020. Few descendants of alumni get in, and progressive activism is an asset."

Present Day — Endowment

As of available IRS filings, the Russell Trust Association held assets exceeding $3.67 million (1998 figure; more recent filings suggest substantially higher).

Source: Yale Daily News, "Societies Hold Mystery" — http://yaledailynews.com/articles/societies-hold-mystery

Quote: "As of June 30, 1998, Skull and Bones owned, via the Russell Trust, more than $3,674,000 in assets."