Fraternity History
Phi Delta Theta was founded back in 1848 but the events leading up to its founding stretch back further than that. The first Creek letter organization was Phi Beta Kappa, founded on December 5, 1776 at the college of William and Marry in Williamsburg, Virginia. Over 60 years later, at Miami University in Ohio, Beta Theta Pi was founded. In a protest against the administration and the president of Miami University, several members of Beta Theta Pi and other students blocked the entrances to the main educational and administrative building with anything that they could find. This later became known as the Great Snowball Rebellion. The president of the university then decided to expel a large number of the Betas because of their involvement in the rebellion.
Now left without a Greek organization on campus, six students decided to create a new one and Phi Delta Theta was born. Six men formed the fraternity as they stayed in a dormitory on December 26, 1848. During this holiday season the six men had three meetings to discuss the foundation of the fraternity. They formed the Bond of Phi Delta Theta, which is the fundamental law of the Fraternity. It has remained unchanged ever since. The Founders also designed the badge, among other things, consisting of a shield, eye and scroll with the Greek letters on it.
The names of the six men that we accredit our founding for are: Robert Morrison, John McMillan Wilson, Robert Thompson Drake, John Wolfe Lindley, Ardivan Walker Rodgers, and Andrew Watts Rogers.
Since the founding in 1848, the fraternity has continued to grow and has encompassed more than 150 chapters in 43 states and six Canadian provinces. The fraternity has initiated over 220,000 men. Membership in Phi Delta Theta does not stop after graduation, it is a life long experience.