Fraternal Order of Eagles

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Terracotta ornamentation of the former Eagles Aerie No. 1, Eagles Auditorium Building in Seattle.

Fraternal Order of Eagles International (F.O.E.) is a fraternal organization that was founded on February 6, 1898, in Seattle, Washington by a group of six theater owners including John Cort (the first president), brothers John W. and Tim J. Considine, Harry (H.L.) Leavitt (who later bolted to the Loyal Order of Moose), Mose Goldsmith and Arthur Williams.^[1] Originally made up of those engaged in one way or another in the performing arts, the Eagles grew and claimed credit for establishing the Mother's Day holiday in the United States as well as the "impetus for Social Security". Originally, membership in the order was restricted to whites only; this led to a controversy in Milwaukee in the late 1960s, when a radical Roman Catholic priest, Father James Groppi, discovered that many local judges were members of the order. Groppi questioned how a judge could render impartial decisions in cases involving non-whites when that judge belonged to an organization which excluded non-whites from its membership. The result was a series of demonstrations, including, in some instances, picketing of the residences of the judges in question. Eventually, the order dropped its ban on non-white members, but nonetheless its membership remains overwhelmingly white today. Their lodges are known as "aeries". As with many other fraternal organizations, the Eagles' numbers have dwindled in recent years, though no membership figures have been identified.

Notes

References

• http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/pacificnw/2002/0825/nowthen.html
• http://www.foe.com/magazine/september2002/sept02_cov2.pdf
• http://www.fansoffieger.com/septic.htm

External links

• Fraternal Order of Eagles International