Wolf’s Head

Wolf's Head, legally incorporated as the Phelps Trust Association, is the third-oldest and last of the "Big Three" senior secret societies at Yale University, founded in June 1883 by William Lyon Phelps and classmates as a deliberate counter to the dominance of Skull and Bones and Scroll and Key in undergraduate affairs. Backed by over 300 Yale alumni and aided by Yale Law School faculty, Wolf's Head was designed to democratize the senior society system — yet it evolved into its own elite institution, producing CIA recruits, university presidents, composers, hedge fund magnates, and civil rights advocates, while operating from the largest society compound on campus.

Definitions

Senior Society — A secret, invitation-only organization at Yale that "taps" (selects) 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. Wolf's Head has occupied two successive tombs: an 1884 "Old Hall" on Prospect and Trumbull Streets, and a 1924 "New Hall" on York Street designed by Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue.

Phelps Trust Association — The legal corporate name of Wolf's Head's alumni organization, incorporated in 1886. Named in reference to the Phelps family's support. The society purchased land under this alias.

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.

Tapping — The ritual selection process. Wolf's Head selects sixteen rising seniors each year (one more than the fifteen selected by Bones and Keys).

The Third Society — Wolf's Head's original name at founding, before it was renamed five years later.

Ankh — The society's badge consists of a wolf's head atop an Egyptian ankh, in gold.

Historical Timeline

June 1883 — Founding as "The Third Society"

• Fifteen rising seniors from the Yale Class of 1884, aided by members of the Class of 1883, established "The Third Society" — explicitly to counter the dominance of Skull and Bones and Scroll and Key.The effort was aided by more than 300 Yale College alumni and several Yale Law School faculty.
  • Source: Wikipedia, "Wolf's Head Society" — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf%27s_Head_Society
  • Quote: "Fifteen rising seniors from the Yale Class of 1884, with help from members of the Yale Class of 1883 who were considered publicly possible taps for the older societies, abetted the creation of The Third Society. The effort was aided by more than 300 Yale College alumni and a few Yale Law School faculty, in part to counter the dominance of the Skull and Bones Society in undergraduate and university affairs."

1884 — Old Hall Built

• The first tomb was built at the corner of Prospect and Trumbull Streets in a rough-faced brownstone Romanesque style, historically covered in climbing ivy. It served as the society's home for 40 years.
  • Source: New Haven Building Archive — http://nhba.yale.edu/building?id=447
  • Quote: "1884–1924 Wolf's Head Senior Society. 1924 Building sold to Yale University as Wolf's Head moves to current 'New Hall.'"

1886 — Phelps Trust Association Incorporated

• The alumni body was formally incorporated as the Phelps Trust Association, which purchased and managed the society's properties.
  • Source: Dartmo.com, "Halls, Tombs and Houses" — http://dartmo.com/halls/hallscontent5.html
  • Quote: "The alumni members of Wolf's Head (1883) incorporated as the Phelps Trust Association in 1886."

1888 — Renamed "Wolf's Head"

• Five years after its founding, "The Third Society" was renamed Wolf's Head.
  • Source: Wikipedia, "Wolf's Head Society."

c. 1924 — New Hall Built on York Street

Wolf's Head relocated to a new, larger tomb on 214 York Street, designed posthumously by architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue (a protégé of James Renwick Jr.). The compound features stone walls, wrought iron fencing, and commands the most prominent location on campus beyond Harkness Tower.

The old hall on Prospect Street was sold to Yale University.

Source: Wikipedia, "Wolf's Head Society."

Quote: "The tomb has stone walls and wrought iron fencing and is central to the largest secret society compound on campus. The compound commands the most prominent location on campus beyond Harkness Tower, the very icon of Yale."

1950s–1960s — CIA Recruitment Ground

Wolf's Head served as a major recruitment ground for the CIA.

Source: Leigh Bardugo, Ninth House appendices (fictional framing, but corroborated by journalistic sources).

1969–1971 — Black Panther Trials

Wolf's Head members housed protesters during the Black Panther trials in New Haven, an act of which the society's members remain proud.

Source: Grokipedia, "Wolf's Head Society" — grokipedia.com

1992 — Women Admitted

Wolf's Head was the last of the Big Three to admit women, doing so in 1992 after alumni voted to end over a century of gender-exclusive membership.

Source: Business Insider, "7 of Yale's Super-Elite Secret Societies Ranked by Wealth" (2016) — http://businessinsider.com/yales-wealthiest-secret-societies-2016-11

Quote: "Wolf's Head was founded in 1883. It has the reputation of tapping primarily the 'prep school' type, and was the last all-male society — allowing female members only in 1992."

Present Day — Endowment

As of available IRS filings, Wolf's Head (filed under Phelps Association) held assets of approximately $6.85 million, making it the second-wealthiest of Yale's senior societies after Scroll and Key.

Source: Business Insider, "7 of Yale's Super-Elite Secret Societies Ranked by Wealth" (2016).