Ah! Without resources handy, I forgot about the Flat Hat Club -- although I'm not sure whether it can properly be called a fraternity or is more accurately a secret student organization that pre-dated fraternities but gave rise to them. A distinction without a real difference, perhaps. In any event, Phi Beta Kappa was certainly the first Greek Letter Organization.

BTW, Flat Hat Club was derived from "FHC," the initials of the group's Latin motto.

Anyone interested in reading a little more might check out Greek Zone's History Pages (modestly called "History of the Greek Empire." The Flat Hat Club is discussed on Page 2. Click on "Continue with the history of the Greeks" at the bottom of the page.)

Mystic Cat, you're always one step ahead of me!

PBK is typically given credit as the first fraternity because it's widely accepted to have been the first group to use things that later came to typify a collegiate fraternity: secret motto, passwords, grip, etc. I don’t disagree with Baird’s assessment that Flat Hat was a similar club to PBK, and it was obviously around much earlier (as were others), but Baird’s goes on to conclude PBK was the first fraternity as we know that word and that’s good enough for me.

Most references skip right from #1 PBK to #2 Kappa Alpha society of 1825. I think the reason they omit Kappa Alpha of 1812 (Kuklos Adelphon) is a) they were not entirely collegiate, establishing Kuklos or circles in county seat towns, and b) they were esoterically virtually identical to PBK, so much so that they are sometimes considered a simple evolution of PBK and not really a distinct group.

wptw

Interesting. Thanks for the link. After reading it:

"What made PBK different from other literary societies of its day and what places it at the foundation of Greek history, was a decision made three years after it was founded to establish branch chapters - to expand "to the wise and virtuous...of whatever country"

I think I'll stick with Phi Beta Kappa as the first real fraternity -- at least as we know them today.

Only my opinion, though.

The reason that brief histories of American collegiate fraternities jump to KA Society is because:
1) It is the oldest surviving national social fraternity (Phi Beta Kappa is no longer social)
2) Because there is a clear lineage starting from KA Society.
They were founded at Union in 1825.
Two years later, Sigma Phi and Delta Phi were founded at Union.
Sigma Phi chartered at Hamilton College in 1831.
Alpha Delta Phi was founded at Hamilton in 1832.
Alpha Delta Phi chartered at Miami U. in 1835.
At Miami U., Beta ws founded in1839, Phi Delt was founded in 1848, Sigma Chi was founded in 1855, and Phi Tau was founded in 1906.
Beta chartered at Jefferson College in 1842.
At Jefferson College, Fiji was founded in 1848, and Phi Psi was founded in 1852.

It goes on and on. Most NIC fraternities can trace their roots back to Union College.

KA Society was not the first (or second) social Greek letter fraternity at Union College, but it is the oldest one to go national and the oldest one to survive.

Weird place for this discussion, but whatever...

Who else was there at Union other than Pi Beta Phi in 1812?

You're right - jumping straight to the first "social" fraternity in 1825 skips a few important groups. Like Pi Beta Phi at Union, Chi Delta Theta at Yale, and the Princeton Chi Phi order. According to Baird, "none of these had a continuing influence or or left any permanent impress upon American college life". I imagine our Chi Phi friends would disagree, as would members of the various class societies that sprung up at Yale shortly after Chi Delta Theta.

wptw