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Phi Delta Phi (ΦΔΦ; commonly known as Phid or PDP) is a law-student honor society and professional fraternity founded in 1869 at the University of Michigan.
Phi Delta Phi is organized by two branches: legal honor societies and pre-law societies. The legal honor societies, called Inns, are located at law schools. The pre-law societies, called Halls, are for undergraduate membership at U.S. colleges and universities.
With a total membership of over 200,000 people, members of Phi Delta Phi include five U.S. presidents, two U.S. vice presidents, 14 Supreme Court justices, and numerous members of Congress, Cabinet members, and ambassadors.
Phi Delta Phi was founded on December 13, 1869 at the University of Michigan Law School by John M. Howard, a first year law student. Howard was a graduate of Monmouth College and member of Phi Gamma Delta. His initial intent was to found a chapter of Phi Gamma Delta at Michigan, but he did not follow through with the plan because of the large number of chapters already in place on the campus. Howard instead turned his efforts toward founding a fraternity devoted purely to students of the legal profession.[1][2]
Phi Delta Phi Inns have occasionally leased or owned residential buildings or secured meeting spaces, often adjacent to law libraries. During World War II, when law school admissions enrollments virtually ceased, all of the Inns remained active on a restricted basis.
The first international unit of the fraternity was the Weldon Inn, chartered in 1925 at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. The first unit in Mexico, the Velasco Inn, was chartered in 1973 at the Escuela Libre de Derecho, in Mexico City.[1] The first unit in Germany, the Roman Herzog Inn, was chartered in 2006 at the Bucerius Law School, in Hamburg.
After 140 years of operation as a professional fraternity, the fraternity was designated as an honor society in 2012.[3] In the same year the fraternity began chartering Halls as undergraduate pre-law chapters.[4]
Phi Delta Phi's motto is "Friends of Justice and Wisdom". Its colors are garnet and pearl blue. Its symbols are the owl and skull. Its flower is the Jacqueminot rose. Its publication is The Brief.
Phi Delta Phi has 131 active chapters known as Inns. Each Inn is named for a noted jurist or member of the bar.[1][5] The honor society has numerous undergraduate chapters, called Halls.
Over more than one and a half centuries, Phi Delta Phi members have contributed significantly to various areas, specifically the law and politics. Phi Delta Phi's affiliates include five U.S. presidents, two U.S. vice presidents, and fourteen Supreme Court justices.
