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Lincoln's Inn Society

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Lincoln's Inn Society
Founded1907; 117 years ago (1907)
Harvard Law School
TypeSocial club
Former affiliation
StatusMerged
EmphasisLaw
ScopeLocal
Members3,200+ lifetime
Headquarters44 Follen Street
Cambridge, Massachusetts
United States

Lincoln's Inn Society was a social club based at Harvard Law School, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was originally known as Choate Inn of the of Phi Delta Phi. It became a private club when the Harvard faculty voted to ban all fraternities in 1907. Lincoln's Inn Society merged with HL Central in 2007, following declining membership and a lack of funds.

History

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The Lincoln's Inn Society was founded in 1907 by three Harvard Law School students who hoped to find a social organization to provide some relief from the stress of law school. It was originally the Coate Inn of Phi Delta Phi, a legal fraternity that calls its chapters "inns".

Lincoln Inn became a private club when the Harvard faculty voted to ban all fraternities in 1907. The Inn was a student-run and student-owned club, operating beyond university regulation. Lincoln's Inn membership was originally male only but later admitted women.

The society was originally a dinner club and eventually operated as a social and drinking club.[1] The Inn's flagship event was the annual Winter Dinner, a tradition started around 1918.[1] By 1991, some alumni noted that the drinking club was a "defacto speakeasy", baring similarities to the film Animal House.[2]

By 2006, the society's membership had declined, including only fifty students instead of the usual 100 members.[3] As a result, the society was challenged to maintain its house, opting to close its doors to reevaluation its financial status.[3]

In March 2007, Lincoln's Inn Society merged with HL Central, a for-profit organization formed in 1999.[1] However, the society announced that this was only for administrative purposes.[3] Plans were to renovate the society's house and reopen it; however, it was close to foreclosure in 2009 and was sold for $1.1 million.[3] Following this, the society ceased to operate. The Lincoln Inn Society initiated some 3,200 members throughout its history.

Symbols

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The Lincoln Inn's was named for the Lincoln's Inn in London, which is one of the four Inns of Court where English barristers are based.[3]

Property

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The Inn's house was a historic three-story Victorian house across the street from the Law School campus at 44 Follen Street.[1][3] It was in the architectural style of Charles Addams.[2] The society purchased the house in 1947.[2] It was sold in 2009.[3]

Notable members

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Academia

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Business

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Judiciary

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Law

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  • Robert Joffe '67 — Former Presiding Partner of Cravath Swaine & Moore

Politics

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "HLS 'Drinking Club' Goes Sober – News – The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Margolick, David. "To Harvard Neighbors, A Once-Venerable Club Is Now Affront to Law". The New York Times. p. B8. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "A House Called Lincoln's Inn". The Harvard Law Record. April 4, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  4. ^ Stern, Seth. "Judicial Temperament". Harvard Law School. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
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