Alpha Gamma

{{Short description|American collegiate fraternity (1867-c.1880)}}

{{Infobox Fraternity

| name = Alpha Gamma

| letters = {{lang|grc|ΑΓ}}

| crest =

| founded = {{start date and age|1867}}

| birthplace = Cumberland University

| affiliation = Independent

| status = Defunct

| defunct_date = {{circa|1880s}}

| successor =

| type = Secret society

| scope = National

| motto =

| maxim =

| member badge =

| pledge pin =

| colors =

| symbol =

| flag =

| flower =

| jewel =

| mascot =

| publication =

| chapters = 21

| members =

| lifetime = 350

| object =

| address =

| city =

| state =

| country = United States

| homepage =

| footnotes =

}}

Alpha Gamma ({{lang|grc|ΑΓ}}) was an American collegiate fraternity. It was founded at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee in 1867. All chapters closed in the 1880s.

History

Alpha Gamma was founded at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee in 1867.Baird, William Raimond, ed. [https://hdl.handle.net/2027/njp.32101067000214?urlappend=%3Bseq=41%3Bownerid=27021597767047511-45 American College Fraternities, 1st edition]. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co.,1879. p. 41-42. via Hathi Trust. It was a secret society.{{Cite news |date=1873-07-25 |title=The Alpha Gamma Society |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-press-and-herald-the-alpha-gamma-s/154647478/ |access-date=2024-09-04 |work=Daily Press and Herald |location=Knoxville, Tennessee |pages=4 |via=Newspapers.com}} Its founders were L. Black, C. N. Campbell, W. G. Campbell, A. B. Goodbar, M. S. Matheny, and W. T. Nixon. In December 1869, a bill was passed by the Tennessee Legislature to incorporate Alpha Gamma Fraternity.{{Cite news |date=1869-12-09 |title=New Bills and Resolution |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/republican-banner-new-bills-and-resoluti/154647235/ |access-date=2024-09-04 |work=Republican Banner |location=Nashville, Tennessee |pages=1 |via=Newspapers.com}}

The fraternity referred to its chapters as lodges. Because of the secret nature of the fraternity and bans against secret societies at the time, many of its lodges operated sub rosa.{{Cite news |date=1883-11-23 |title=Foundation of the Stewart Society |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/leaf-chronicle-weekly-foundation-of-the/154648302/ |access-date=2024-09-04 |work=Leaf-Chronicle Weekly |location=Clarksville, Tennessee |pages=1 |via=Newspapers.com}} Many chapters met under the guise of being a literary society, going to the extreme of creating a bogus constitution for a literary society. Of its 21 chapters; twelve of these are known. Prominent chapters were located at Cumberland University, Mercersburg College, Southwestern Presbyterian University, Trinity College (Duke), Washington & Jefferson College, and the West Virginia University.{{Cite book| last = Baird| first = William Raimond | title = Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities| publisher = The Alcolm Company| year = 1905|edition=6th| pages = 433|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BwMTAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA430| chapter=Alpha Gamma}}

In August 1875, Alpha Gamma held a national convention in Clarksville, Tennessee.{{Cite news |date=1875-08-04 |title=The National Convention of the Alpha Gamma Secret Literary Society |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/leaf-chronicle-weekly-the-national-c/154651265/ |access-date=2024-09-04 |work=Leaf-Chronicle Weekly |location=Clarksville, Tennessee |pages=1 |via=Newspapers.com}} Delegates attended from Mercerburg College, Southwestern Presbyterian University, the University of Alabama, and Washington & Jefferson College. A local newspaper reported that attendance was smaller than usual. The chapter at Mercersburg College held a reunion on July 13, 1888.{{Cite news |date=1888-04-04 |title=Reunions at Mercersburg College--Preparations Being Made for the Events |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/valley-spirit-weekly-reunions-at-merce/154654902/ |access-date=2024-09-04 |work=Valley Spirit (Weekly) |location=Chambersburg, Pennsylvania |pages=1 |via=Newspapers.com}}

The fraternity eventually disbanded, with Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities indicating that this occurred in the 1880s. Many chapter closed because of local anti-fraternity laws and policies, including the Trinity College (Duke University) and West Virginia University chapters. Several chapters, including those at Washington & Jefferson College, Southwestern Presbyterian University, became chapters of Alpha Tau Omega.{{cite web |editor2=Carroll Lurding |title=Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities (Baird's Manual Online Archive) |url=https://uofi.app.box.com/v/inactive-glos-mens |access-date=10 March 2022 |website=Student Life and Culture Archives |publisher=University of Illinois Archives |language=English |editor1=William Raimond Baird |location=University of Illinois}} The main archive URL is [https://www.library.illinois.edu/slc/welcome/fraternity-sorority-almanac/ The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage]. Some members of the chapter a Southwestern Presbyterian University, split off to form the Stewart Literary Society. The Washington and Lee chapter joined Chi Phi. These chapter withdrawals occurred over several years, with no specific merger process. The fraternity had approximately 350 members.

Symbols

The Alpha Gamma badge consisted of a golden shield with a globe that was encircled by a pendant with the Greek letters {{lang|grc|ΑΓ}}. At its top were six stars that represent the fraternity's six founders.

Chapters

Known chapters of Alpha Gamma include the following, with inactive chapters and institutions in italics. The fraternity appears to have reassigned chapter names as its roster was updated; the chapter that housed its headquarters was called Alpha chapter.

class="wikitable sortable"

!Chapter

!Charter date and range

!Institution

!Location

!Status

!References

Alpha (also Iota)

|March 1867–18xx?

|Cumberland University

|Lebanon, Tennessee

|Inactive

Beta (also Alpha and Sigma)

|18xx ? – March 12, 1882

|Washington & Jefferson College

|Washington, Pennsylvania

|Withdrew (ΑΤΩ)

|{{Efn|Became the Alpha Pi chapter of ΑΤΩ. In 1883, soon after the merger, this chapter closed. ΑΤΩ reopened it in 1901.}}

Gamma (also Eta

|18xx ?–18xx ?

|Trinity College (now Duke University)

|Durham, North Carolina

|Inactive

|{{Efn|Chapter closed due to anti-fraternity legislation.|name=Anti Fraternity}}

Delta (also Alpha and Zeta)

|18xx ?–18xx ?

|Mercersburg College

|Mercersburg, Pennsylvania

|Inactive

|{{Efn|Now a prep school, Mercersburg had a collegiate section until 1893.}}

|186x ? – February 19, 1872

|Washington and Lee University

|Lexington, Virginia

|Withdrew (ΧΦ)

|{{Efn|Became the Nu chapter (Northern Order) of ΧΦ.}}{{Efn|The dates for this chapter may not quite line up. Baird's Archive indicates the chapter formed in the late 1860s, allowing it to become the Nu chapter of Chi Phi on February 19, 1872, which seems to be a firm date. However, this would have made the unnamed Alpha Gamma fraternity unit a chapter earlier than its implied order in Baird's. Was it Alpha Gamma's Eta chapter? Could a chapter of Chi Phi have been formed on the W&L campus independently, which then absorbed the Alpha Gamma chapter? The Chi Phi chapter appears to have withdrawn from ΑΓ in 1871, joined Chi Phi, and then gone dormant in 1878.}}

Epsilon (also Theta)

|1878 – April 10, 1881

|Southwestern Presbyterian University

|Clarksville, Tennessee

|Withdrew (ΑΤΩ)

|{{Efn|During its existence, this college was situated in Clarksville, Tennessee; it moved to Memphis in 1925. It became the Alpha Tau chapter of ΑΤΩ. Before its withdrawal, some of its members split off to form the Stewart Literary Society (local).}}

Zeta (also Pi)

|18xx ?–18xx ?

|West Virginia University

|Morgantown, West Virginia

|Inactive

|{{Efn|name=Anti Fraternity}}

Eta ?

|1872–18xx ?

|University of Tennessee

|Knoxville, Tennessee

|Inactive

Theta (also Omicron)