Delphic Society

The Delphic Fraternity originates with the founding of the Delphic Society at the Geneseo State Normal School in upstate New York (known today as SUNY Geneseo). With the 1889 chapter expansion to the Oneonta Normal School (today SUNY Oneonta), the Delphic Society first became known as the Delphic Fraternity.

William James Milne, the first principal of the Geneseo State Normal School, attended the University of Rochester as an undergraduate. Milne, who was instrumental in the founding of the Delphic Society at Geneseo, participated in the last public debate of the Delphic Society at the University of Rochester in 1866.

The Delphic Society at Rochester, which was founded on November 2, 1850, was the predecessor organization to the Delphic Society at Geneseo, founded in 1871. The name of the societies, their proximity to each other, and William James Milne historically connect the two organizations. The Delphic Society that originated in Geneseo led to the statewide Delphic Fraternity, which is also known today as Delphic of Gamma Sigma Tau.

The seminal concept for the Delphic Society at Geneseo stems from the Gamma Phi Society at Colgate, which led to the Adelphian Society, which helped form the Delphic Society at the University of Rochester.

For more information about the Delphic Society at Rochester, visit its Wikipedia Page.