In the spring of 1844, tensions in Yale College’s Sophomore class, fueled by undergraduate politics and exclusionary practices of the existing societies, Alpha Delta Phi and Psi Upsilon, led to a bold initiative. Many men of high character and academic distinction were denied bids to these societies, while some who received offers rejected them outright, decrying the unfairness of the selection process. This sense of injustice inspired fifteen resolute young men to form their own society, one grounded in fraternity, fairness, and inclusivity, with a spirit they believed was lacking in their rivals.

On June 22, 1844, in Room 12 of Old South Hall at Yale College in New Haven, Connecticut, these fifteen men founded Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE). At their inaugural meeting, they established the fraternity’s secret and open Greek mottos, the latter being “Kerothen Philoi Aei” or “Friends from the Heart, Forever.” They also designed the DKE pin, a black diamond adorned with the Greek letters ΔΚΕ on a white scroll, gold rope trim, and a star in each corner. DKE’s heraldic colors—azure (blue), or (gold), and gules (crimson)—and its flag, a triband with a left-facing rampant lion at the center, were also adopted.

The founding members, who became known as the Phi Chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon, were William Woodruff Atwater, Edward Griffen Bartlett, Frederic Peter Bellinger, Jr., Henry Case, George Foote Chester, John Butler Coyngham, Thomas Isaac Franklin, William Walter Horton, William Boyd Jacobs, Edward Van Schoonhoven Kingsley, Chester Newell Righter, Elisha Bacon Shapleigh, Thomas Du Bois Sherwood, Orson William Snow, and Albert Everett Stetson.

From its humble beginnings, DKE grew into a distinguished fraternity with over 64 chapters and more than 85,000 initiated members across North America. Its principles of balancing the qualities of “The Gentleman, the Scholar, and the Jolly Good-Fellow” have left a lasting legacy. DKE’s influence extends deeply into American history, with five U.S. presidents—Rutherford B. Hayes, Theodore Roosevelt, Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush—proudly counted among its ranks. Today, the fraternity continues to embody the spirit of friendship, excellence, and inclusion envisioned by its founders.