The Hereditary Order of Descendants of Colonial Governors (HODCG) is a hereditary society composed of men and women who can prove their descent from a colonial-era governor. Founded in 1896 Miss Mary Cabell Richardson of

Covington, Kentucky Covington is a list of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Ohio River, Ohio and Licking River (Kentucky), Licking rivers, across from Cincinnati to the north ...

, the Order's mission is to "commemorate the services of those men who, prior to July 4, 1776, singly exercised supreme executive power in the American colonies and who laid in them the foundations of stable government and of the respect for the civil law and authority which made the maintenance of their future independence possible." The Order is listed as an approved lineage society with the

Hereditary Society Community of the United States of America The Hereditary Society Community of the United States of America ("HSC") is a non-profit organization, founded in 2002, which conveys the public interface for over 300 lineage societies. HSC's primary mission is to facilitate and increase the comm ...

History

The first two Governors General served the Order for the first seven years of its existence. In 1903, Miss Gail Treat of

East Orange, New Jersey East Orange is a City (New Jersey), city in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 69,612, an increase of 5,342 (+8.3%) from the 2010 United States ...

, became the new Governor General of the Orde

Ms Treat was a descendant of

Robert Treat Robert Treat (February 23, 1622July 12, 1710) was an English-born politician, military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Connecticut from 1683 to 1687 and 1689 to 1698. In 1666, he co-founded the colonial settlemen ...

, whose served as governor from 1683-169

Miss Treat would serve as Governor General from 1903 to 1944 and upon her death all of the records of the Order vanished and the group entered a period of dormancy. In 1954 a group of members reorganized the Order and sought to preserve whatever records and information they could locate. The Order published a register of known members in 1980, and in 2004 the Lineage Book II was produced. In 2006, the Order published a comprehensive list of the Colonial Governors Prior to July 4, 1776. The Order presently consists of over 500 members throughout the United States of America and overseas and has its annual meeting in April of each year in Washington, DC, at the Metropolitan Club (Washington, D.C.), Metropolitan Club, as well as a reception each November at the

Racquet and Tennis Club The Racquet and Tennis Club, familiarly known as the R&T, is a private social and athletic club at 370 Park Avenue, between East 52nd and 53rd Streets in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. History The Racquet Court Club was organized April 28 ...

, in New York City.

References

*Thurtle, Robert Glenn (ed.). ''Hereditary Order of Descendants of Colonial Governors''. Ann Arbor, MI: Edwards Brothers, 1980. *Bernstorf, Mrs. Philip and Mrs. George S. Orton (comp.). ''Hereditary Order of Descendants of Colonial Governors Lineage Book II'', Baltimore, MD: Gateway Press, 2005.

Resources

The Hereditary Society Community of the United States of America
Lineage societies 1896 establishments in the United States Organizations based in Kentucky