History
The Club has also had the honor of hosting presidents of the United States, including: Woodrow Wilson, William H. Taft, Herbert Hoover, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Donald J. Trump. International heads of state such as Winston Churchill, Mikhail Gorbachev, Indira Ghandi, Margaret Thatcher, Yitzak Rabin, Corizon Aquino, Fumio Kishida, Li Keqiang, and Zhu Rongji have addressed our members. It is more than likely that you will find our past speakers in history books or as authors of books, papers, and op-ed that illuminated, challenged, and pushed history forward.
Historical Timeline
1907
Founded in 1907 by J.W. Beatson with the mission of facilitating thoughtful discussion and debates on the issues of the day, over the past 100 years, the Club has acted as the prominent forum for the pivotal debates of the age.
1910
During the 1910s, the club hosted speakers regarding the hotly debated topic of a U.S. income tax and the movement for women’s suffrage.
1920
The 1920s were a time of discussion on post WWI Europe, free speech, and the role of business as a source of good in the community.
1930
During the 1930s, our speakers gave voice to the events in Europe and America’s role in what would become World War II.
1940
In the 1940s, the future of Europe’s economy and the continuation of America’s prosperity were debated.
1950
The economic impact of the Atomic Age of the 1950
1960
The societal changes and the space race of the 1960s
1962
JFK Addresses The Club
1970
The energy crises of the 1970s were all discussed from our dais.
1974
The club admits women.
2004
Dinner dress shifted from Formal to Business Attire
| Chairs of the Club | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1907-1909 A. Barton Hepburn | 1909-1910 Francis Lynde Stetson | 1910-1912 John G. Milburn | 1912-1914 James Speyer |
| 1914-1916 William R. Wilcox | 1916-1918 Frank A. Vanderlip | 1918-1920 Henry Morgenthau | 1920-1922 George W. Wickersham |
| 1922-1924 William Church Osborn | 1924-1926 Howard Elliott | 1926-1928 Walker D. Hines | 1928-1930 Nathan L. Miller |
| 1930-1932 Samuel McRoberts | 1932-1934 Thomas J. Watson | 1934-1936 James P. Warburg | 1936-1938 Paul D. Cravath |
| 1938-1940 Wendell L. Willkie | 1940-1942 David Sarnoff | 1942-1944 Winthrop W. Aldrich | 1944-1946 Thomas I. Parkinson |
| 1946-1948 Theodore M. Riehle | 1948-1950 Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. | 1950-1952 Juan T. Trippe | 1952-1954 Austin S. Igleheart |
| 1954-1956 H.E. Humphreys, Jr. | 1956-1957 William L. Kleitz | 1958-1959 Roy T. Hurley | 1959-1961 Herbert B. Woodman |
| 1961-1963 Kenneth C. Royall | 1963-1964 Arthur K. Watson | 1964-1965 Monroe E. Spaght | 1965-1966 Alfred Hayes |
| 1966-1967 Norman H. Strouse | 1967-1968 William M. Batten | 1968-1969 Jesse Werner | 1969-1970 Gavin K. MacBain |
| 1970-1971 Robert V. Roosa | 1971-1972 Augustine R. Marusi | 1972-1974 George R. Vila | 1974-1975 Charles C. Tillinghast, Jr. |
| 1975-1976 J. Paul Lyet | 1976-1977 James W. Davant | 1977-1979 Francis J. Dunleavy | 1979-1981 Edmund T. Pratt, Jr. |
| 1981-1983 Peter G. Peterson | 1983-1985 F. Ross Johnson | 1985-1987 Dwayne O. Andreas | 1987-1990 Rand V. Araskog |
| 1990-1992 Richard A. Voell | 1992-1994 Donald B. Marron | 1994-1996 John M. Hennessy | 1996-2000 William J. McDonough |
| 2000-2002 Richard A. Grasso | 2003-2007 Barbara Hackman Franklin | 2007-2010 R. Glenn Hubbard | 2010-2012 Andrew H. Tisch |
| 2012-2014 Roger W. Ferguson, Jr. | 2014-2016 William C. Dudley | 2016-2018 Terry J. Lundgren | 2018-2020 Marie-Josée Kravis |
| 2020-2024 John Williams | 2024-2026 Robert K. Steel | 2026-Current Dambisa Moyo | |