Wolf's Head

Wolf's Head. It is a senior secret society at Yale University, founded in 1883 as a successor to the earlier Society of the Crocodile. Established during a period of significant expansion in Yale's extracurricular landscape, it was part of a movement to create alternatives to the dominant Skull and Bones and Scroll and Key. The society is housed in its own distinctive tomb, a Gothic Revival building located at 101 Prospect Street in New Haven.

History

The society was established in 1883 by a group of Yale seniors, many of whom were members of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, seeking to create a new senior society following the dissolution of the Society of the Crocodile. Its founding occurred amidst broader debates about elitism and social stratification within the Yale College community. The early members secured a building designed by architect William H. Allen in the Old Campus area before commissioning the construction of their permanent hall. The cornerstone for the current tomb at 101 Prospect Street was laid in 1924, with the building designed by the noted society architect Richard A. Kimball. Throughout the 20th century, it maintained its position within the historical "Big Three" societies at Yale, alongside Skull and Bones and Scroll and Key.

Organization and structure

The society is governed internally by its active undergraduate delegation, which selects fifteen new members annually during the university's Tap Day process, a tradition shared with other senior societies. The group's affairs and the maintenance of its physical tomb are overseen by a graduate board, known as the Alumni Association, composed of former members. This board manages the society's endowment and ensures the continuity of its traditions. The internal structure includes designated officer roles such as the Patriarch, who presides over meetings, and a Secretary responsible for correspondence and records, with operations remaining largely confidential to non-members.

Membership and activities

Membership is offered exclusively to Yale seniors, selected through a process that considers leadership in campus organizations such as the Yale Daily News, the Yale Dramatic Association, and varsity athletics. The society's weekly meetings, held every Thursday and Sunday evening, are the core of its activities, featuring formal dinners and discussions on topics ranging from personal philosophy to current events. These gatherings are designed to foster intense camaraderie and debate among members. While the specific content of meetings is private, the society is understood to emphasize personal reflection, oratory, and the formation of lifelong bonds, with members often maintaining strong networks in fields like law, finance, and public service after graduation.

Notable members

Prominent individuals initiated into the society include Kingman Brewster Jr., who served as President of Yale University and later as United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom; and Potter Stewart, an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Other distinguished members encompass John Hersey, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of *Hiroshima*; S. Dillon Ripley, longtime Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution; and John Lindsay, the former Mayor of New York City. In the arts, notable initiates include composer Cole Porter and actor James Whitmore. The society's roster also features influential figures from media, such as John B. Oakes, former editor of the *New York Times* editorial page.

Symbols and traditions

The society's primary symbol is the wolf's head itself, often depicted in art nouveau style on its insignia, stationery, and within the stained glass of its hall. The tomb building, a notable example of Collegiate Gothic architecture, contains a library, a dining hall, and meeting rooms adorned with heraldic motifs and portraits of past members. A central tradition is the annual initiation ceremony, a formal rite of passage for new members. The society also possesses a collection of artifacts and regalia, including distinctive membership pins, whose designs and significance are closely guarded secrets known only to initiates.