Lambda Iota Society () was a local fraternity at the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...

. It was established in 1836 and merged with

Pi Kappa Phi Pi Kappa Phi (), commonly known as Pi Kapp(s), is an American Greek Letter secret and social Fraternities and sororities in North America, fraternity. It was founded by Andrew Alexander Kroeg Jr., Lawrence Harry Mixson, and Simon Fogarty Jr. on De ...

in 2018.

History

Lambda Iota was founded on at the

. The main archive URL i
The Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage
The Fraternity began as a secret literary society. There were thirteen original members who met regularly to share the written and spoken word. The founders were: Until its loss of university recognition in 2007, Lambda Iota was the oldest existing local

fraternity A fraternity (; whence, "wikt:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular ...

in the state of

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

and the eighth oldest fraternity in the nation. Members included statesmen, academics, and successful businessmen. The place that members called home since the completion of the structure in 1913 is located at 440 Pearl Street, Burlington, Vermont. In 2007, the society lost university recognition for eight years. Following this, a federal investigation was conducted surrounding cocaine trafficking that had occurred at a house owned by the society. On , the ''Kappa Rho chapter'' of

fraternity on the Vermont campus was renamed as the ''Lambda Iota chapter'' in a partnership with Lambda Iota Society alumni, and took up residence in the historic Pearl Street mansion. Remaining a chapter of Pi Kappa Phi, the two organizations thus re-established in this fashion the underground local fraternity as a recognized campus community member.

Symbols

Lambda Iota Society's Roman divinity was Minerva.Minerva is the name of the Roman goddess of wisdom, pictured on the crest of the former local fraternity. The fraternity's mascot was the owl, also the symbol of Minerva. Its members were called Owls. The fraternity's name for its chapter house was the "owl nest".

Minervan Education Foundation

Since the late 1990s, the society's alumni had been working to develop a charitable foundation to assist current members with financial assistance for their studies. Since its creation, the Minervan Foundation has raised thousands of dollars through donations and other charitable ventures.

Notable members

* Edmund H. Bennett, first mayor of

Taunton, Massachusetts Taunton is a city in and the county seat of Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. Taunton is situated on the Taunton River, which winds its way through the city on its way to Mount Hope Bay, to the south. As of the 2020 United States ...

, dean of

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. BU was founded in 1839 by a group of Boston Methodism, Methodists with its original campus in Newbury (town), Vermont, Newbur ...

School of Law A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for bec ...

, and judge of probate and insolvency in

Bristol County, Massachusetts Bristol County is a county in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 579,200. The shire town is Taunton. Some governmental functions are performed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, othe ...

Roswell Farnham Roswell Farnham (July 23, 1827January 5, 1903) was an American politician of the Republican Party, an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War, a lawyer, and the 38th governor of Vermont. Biography Farnham was born in Boston, Ma ...

Governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of the U.S. state of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of two years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold guberna ...

and

Vermont Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members elected from multi-member districts. Each senator repre ...

Orange Ferriss Orange Ferriss (November 26, 1814 – April 11, 1894) was a U.S. Representative from New York. Born at Glens Falls, New York, Ferriss completed preparatory studies. He attended the University of Vermont at Burlington, where he was a founding me ...

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

* James Forsyth, president of

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (; RPI) is a private university, private research university in Troy, New York, United States. It is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world and the Western Hemisphere. It was establishe ...

William Higby William Higby (August 18, 1813 – November 27, 1887) was a 19th-century American politician, a Republican, a lawyer, a district attorney, a judge, a newspaper editor, and a United States representative from California, serving three terms, fro ...

California State Senate The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature (the lower house being the California State Assembly). The state senate convenes, along with the state assembly, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. ...

, and editor of the ''Calaveras Chronicle'' * Lyman Rowell, president of the University of Vermont * J. Gregory Smith,

and Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives * Worthington C. Smith,

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives a ...

, president, of the Vermont and Canada Railroad, and vice-president of the

Central Vermont Railway The Central Vermont Railway was a railroad that operated in the U.S. states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, as well as the Canadian province of Quebec. It connected Montreal, Quebec, with New London, Connect ...

References

External Links