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Order of Cincinnati

Society of the Cincinnati
Order of cincinnati.jpg
Order of Cincinnati
Named after Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus
Motto "Omnia reliquit servare republicam" (Latin)
"He left everything to save the republic"
Established May 13, 1783; 234 years ago (1783-05-13)
Founder Major-General Henry Knox
Founded at Newburgh, New York
Type Patriotic-Hereditary society
Headquarters Anderson House, Washington, D.C.
Coordinates 38°54′39″N 77°02′52″W / 38.9107011°N 77.0477045°W / 38.9107011; -77.0477045
Region served
United States and France
Official language
English
Jonathan Tufts Woods
William Pless Lunger
John Christopher Harvey
Frank Keech Turner, Jr.
Key people
Executive Director Jack Duane Warren, Jr.
Main organ
Triennial Meeting
Website societyofthecincinnati.org

The Society of the Cincinnati, Inc., is a hereditary society with branches in the United States and France, founded in 1783, to preserve the ideals and fellowship of officers of the Continental Army who served in the Revolutionary War. Now in its third century, the Society promotes the public interest in the revolution through its library and museum collections, publications, and other activities. It is the oldest hereditary society in the United States. The Society does not allow women to join, though there is a partnership society called Daughters of the Cincinnati which permits all female descendants of Continental officers.

The concept of the Society of the Cincinnati was that of Major General Henry Knox. The first meeting of the Society was held in May 1783 at a dinner at Mount Gulian (Verplanck House) in Fishkill, New York, before the British evacuation from New York City. The meeting was chaired by Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Hamilton, and the participants agreed to stay in contact with each other after the war. Membership was generally limited to officers who had served at least three years in the Continental Army or Navy; it included officers of the French Army and Navy above certain ranks. Officers in the Continental Line who died during the War were also entitled to be recorded as members, and membership would devolve to their eldest male heir. Members of the considerably larger fighting forces comprising the Colonial Militias and Minutemen were not entitled to join the Society.


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