A guide to Harvard’s most established clubs

Harvard’s proposed ban would affect 25 final clubs, sororities, fraternities and social clubs. Here are a few of the most prestigious groups under threat:

FLY CLUB

The Fly is “a pretty prominent one: Upper East Side kids in Tod’s loafers and blue blazers,” said a former final-club president. Originally founded as a literary society in 1836, the club has boasted Franklin D. Roosevelt (above left) and Jared Kushner (above right) among its ranks. It is closely affiliated with the all-female Bee Club. The Bee leases its space from the Fly, which owns two buildings in Cambridge, Mass.

PORCELLIAN CLUB

Founded in 1791, the club — heavy on legacies — doesn’t allow nonmembers beyond the bike room. “There’s an old wives’ tale at the Porcellian Club that if you don’t make your first million by 30, they give it to you,” said a former member. During initiation, upperclassmen do not speak to the newly punched sophomores. “It increases the mystery of the club,” says a 30-something Harvard alum. Members have included Teddy Roosevelt (above left) and Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (above right), the twin Internet entrepreneurs portrayed in 2010’s “The Social Network.”

FOX CLUB

Bill Gates (far right) and T.S. Eliot (near right) are among the esteemed former members of the 119-year-old club. It’s “where the nicest guys [and] the most professionally ambitious belong,” said the former final-club president. In 2015, it admitted women, but only as provisional members. It reverted to all-male status in 2017.

SPEE CLUB

Founded in 1852, the Spee went co-ed in 2015. (It was also the first final club to accept an AfricanAmerican member.) According to the former final-club president, it’s where the international billionaires go to play and a favorite club for “rich kids who like going to nightclubs in Boston.” Past members include John F. Kennedy (right) and his brother Robert F. Kennedy.

HASTY PUDDING CLUB

The Hasty Pudding Club, not to be confused with the theatrical organization of the same name, is a social club that accepts students from all four years. Founded in 1795, the club has counted “The Office” star B.J. Novak (far right) and President John Adams (above left) among its esteemed members.

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