Three presidents of the United States have been members of the Cosmos Club: William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, and Herbert Hoover. Two others, Theodore Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge, have had minor associations with the Club.
The clubhouse these Presidents visited was located in Dolley Madison's house on Lafayette Square.
Images:
Cosmos Club (corner house) on Lafayette Square, looking toward the Washington monument.Image from Cosmos Club archives.
Garden dining room, Cosmos Club on Lafayette Square. Image from Cosmos Club archives.
Library, Cosmos Club on Lafayette Square. Image from Cosmos Club archives.
Lounge, Cosmos Club on Lafayette Square. Image from Cosmos Club archives.
William Howard Taft was elected to membership in the Cosmos Club 1904, when he served as Secretary of War. He resigned from the club in 1913, when his term as President ended and he left Washington.
Images:
President William Howard Taft (U.S. President, 1909-1913; Cosmos Club member, 1904-1913.) Library of Congress photo.
President Taft's membership record.Document in Cosmos Club archives.
U.S. Postal Service and Republic of Panama stamp commemorating President Taft. Stamps are exhibited on main floor of Clubhouse as a part of the Cosmos Club art collection.Walking cane owned by President Taft. Walking cane loaned to the Cosmos Club courtesy of the Taft family.
Woodrow Wilson became a Cosmos Club member in 1913, after his election as President, and maintained his membership until shortly before his death in 1924.
Images:
President Woodrow Wilson (U.S. President, 1913-1921; Cosmos Club member, 1913-1923).Library of Congress photo.
President Wilson's membership record.Document in Cosmos Club archives.
U.S. Postal Service and Republic of Panama stamp commemorating President Wilson. Stamps are exhibited on main floor of Clubhouse as a part of the Cosmos Club art collection.
Engraved belt buckle worn by President Wilson, possibly when he came to the Cosmos Club. Belt buckle loaned to the Cosmos Club courtesy of the National Trust Woodrow Wilson House, Washington, DC.
In 1915, despite an undercurrent of anti-Semitism in American society, William Hitz nominated Boston attorney Louis D. Brandeis to membership in the Cosmos Club. Some Club members questioned the suitability for membership of Brandeis on the grounds that he might be "a disturbing element in any club of gentlemen." Hitz appealed to the Club's most influential member--President Woodrow Wilson--for a letter of support to counter the "injustice done Mr. Brandeis by these covert attacks to which he cannot reply."
Wilson swiftly wrote the admissions committee to state his belief that Brandeis would "add a member of very fine quality" to the Cosmos Club, and Brandeis was elected. The following year, Wilson named Brandeis, who had strongly supported Wilson's efforts to strengthen Federal antitrust power, to the U.S. Supreme Court and Hitz to the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia.
Images:
Cosmos Club sponsor of Louis D. Brandeis, William Hitz was a 43 year old native of Washington, educated at Harvard and Columbia.Photo courtesy of the Hitz family.
Three page letter from Cosmos Club member William Hitz, who had sponsored Louis D. Brandeis for Cosmos Club membership, to Wilson requesting Wilson's help in combating anti-Semitism pressure that threatened Brandeis's election to membership.Document from the Woodrow Wilson Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress.
President Wilson's original letter to the Cosmos Club admissions committee in support of Louis Brandeis's election to membership.Document in the Woodrow Wilson Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress.
Typed transcript of President Wilson's letter to the Cosmos Club admissions committee in support of Louis Brandeis's election to membership.Document in the Woodrow Wilson Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress.
Herbert Hoover was elected to membership in 1921, when he served as Secretary of Commerce. His membership continued throughout his presidency.
Images:
President Herbert Hoover (U.S. President, 1929-1933; Cosmos Club member, 1921-1934).Library of Congress photo.
President Hoover's membership record. Document in Cosmos Club archives.
U.S. Postal Service stamp commemorating President Hoover.Stamp is exhibited on main floor of Clubhouse as a part of the Cosmos Club art collection.
President Hoover was an avid fly fisherman. Photo located in billiards room in Clubhouse is in the Cosmos Club art collection.
President Hoover's thoughts about fishing: "All men are equal before fish." Illustrated version of Hoover's text, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library.
Front and back views of fly fishing reel belonging to President Hoover. Fishing reel loaned to Cosmos Club courtesy of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library.
Two presidents, Theodore Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge, have had minor associations with the Cosmos Club.
Theodore Roosevelt was elected to associate membership for six months in June 1889, when he served as a member of the U.S. Civil Service Commission.
Images:
President Roosevelt (U.S. President, 1901-1909; Cosmos Club associate member, June-December 1889).Library of Congress photo.
President Roosevelt's membership record. Document in Cosmos Club archives.
Story in the New York Sun, Sunday, 10 June 1889, attributing Theodore Roosevelt's decision to accept the position of Civil Service Commissioner to his desire to participate in Cosmos Club discussions on natural history.
In 1921, while he served as Vice President, Calvin Coolidge was elected to Cosmos Club membership apparently without his knowledge. When he was informed of his election and presented with a bill for dues, he declined the honor. Coolidge served as U.S. President from 1923 to 1929.
Images:
Vice President Calvin Coolidge and Mrs. Coolidge at home. Even while doing yard work, the Vice President's shoes gleamed and his tie was neat. He needed only the addition of a jacket to be appropriately dressed to dine at the Cosmos Club.Vermont Historical Society photo.
After Vice President Coolidge was elected, the Club billed him for his initiation fee of $50 and his annual dues of $35. With an additional 10% war tax still in effect, his obligation came to $93.50.Document in Cosmos Club archives.
Living up to his reputation as a man of few words, Vice President Coolidge declined the offer of membership in two brief paragraphs.Document in Cosmos Club archives.
This website is adapted from a physical exhibit opened on 4 February 1999 in the Long Gallery as one portion of an evening celebrating the presidents who were members of the Cosmos Club. A videotape of the event is available in the Cosmos Club archives. The physical exhibit was dismantled in 2000.
The exhibit was produced by the History Committee in conjunction with the Art Committee. History Committee member Leonard Rapport conducted the archival research for the exhibit. Other members of the committee contributed to the search for images and artifacts. Victoria Harden curated the exhibit, wrote the script, and adapted the exhibit for this website. Art Committee member Dorothy Fall designed and installed the exhibit. Dean Allard (History) and Jack Perlmutter (Art) coordinated with the Program Committee on the evening event.
Cosmos Club librarian Lura Young provided assistance with documents and photos in the Club archives. The Library of Congress Manuscript Division and image archive, the Office of the White House Curator, the National Trust Woodrow Wilson House, the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library, and the Vermont Historical Society all provided images and artifacts used in the exhibit. The families of President William Howard Taft and William Hitz also loaned artifacts and images from their personal collections. Cosmos Club Assistant Manager Margaret Clark coordinated production. General Manager Bill Caldwell and Victoria Harden photographed the exhibit.
Website designed by Julie M. Banda.