Quote:
Originally posted by gtdxeric
Benjamin Harrison was also a Delta Chi, from back when DX was a professional law fraternity allowing dual memberships.
Also, James K. Polk was in the Kappa Alpha Society, Ulysses S. Grant was a Delta Phi, and Grover Cleveland was a Sigma Chi.
The above is from the Delta Chi "Cornerstone," a fairly accurate source.
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James K. Polk graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1818, seven years before the current Kappa Alpha Society was founded at Union College in 1825. There was a group called Kappa Alpha that was founded by some Phi Beta Kappa members at UNC in 1812. It eventually had around 20 chapters, but it did not survive the Civil War. It was not a fraternity as we would understand it (Kappa Alpha Society is considered the first general fraternity in the modern sense), but was more like early Phi Beta Kappa or a literary society. We must assume that, if Polk was a member of an organization called Kappa Alpha, it was the one founded at UNC six years prior to his graduation (which certainly makes sense), and not Kappa Alpha Society. That would probably be why the NIC has not included him on their list of Greek presidents.
Ulysses S. Grant went to West Point, which, according to the Delta Phi website, has never had a Delta Phi chapter. (So far as I know, West Point has never had any fraternity chapters.) He graduated in 1843, when Delta Chi had only three chapters -- Union, Brown and New York University. I know that Grant's membership in Delta Phi has been reported in other sources, but unless he was an honorary initiate later on, it doesn't seem possible.
As best I can tell, Grover Cleveland didn't go to college due to the untimely death of his father. Cleveland became a lawyer in the days when one could "read law" under a judge rather than attending college/law school. He appears to have been made an "honorary" member of Sigma Chi at some point later in life, which may be why the NIC did not put him on their list.
Benjamin Harrison went to Miami of Ohio, where he joined Phi Delta Theta. He graduated in 1852, about 38 years before Delta Chi was founded. He apparently was initiated later in life. Not that that should necessarily disqualify him (or G. Cleveland perhaps) from the list -- as noted by lifesaver, Truman was initiated into Lambda Chi while president. I guess they just figured he was already on the list, but you're quite right about the dual membership situation.