American Fraternal Alliance
The American Fraternal Alliance (AFA) is an umbrella group of fraternal orders in the United States. It was founded as the National Fraternal Congress of America in 1913, in Chicago[1] and adopted its current name in 2011.[2]
History[]
The origins of the AFA go back to November 17, 1886, when a congress of sixteen fraternal orders representing 535,000 members met in Washington, DC. The original meeting was called by the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the pioneer fraternal insurance society, to establish uniform insurance legislation in all states. The meeting formed a permanent organization, the National Fraternal Congress (NFC).[3]
On March 21, 1901, several fraternal orders created the rival in Chicago.[4] It was created "as a protest against the workings" of the NFC. The two groups re-merged in 1913 as the National Fraternal Congress of America.[5][6]
Another group the competed with the NFC for a time was the , which was organized in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1898. This group differed from the NFC in that it only allowed orders that had adopted the legal reserve system to be members.[7]
The NFC adopted a Uniform Bill for state insurance regulations in 1893. In 1910, with the assistance of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners – it promulgated the Mobile bill, which was modified in 1912 as the New York Conference bill. It also created a mortality table in 1899.[8]
Publications[]
The NFC published a magazine, Fraternal Monitor and an annual Statistics, Fraternal Societies.[9]
Membership[]
The current members of the AFA include:[10]
- American Mutual Life Association
- Association of the Sons of Poland
- (KJZT)
- Catholic Financial Life
- Catholic Order of Foresters
- Croatian Fraternal Union of America
- Degree of Honor Protective Association
- Everence Association, Inc.
- Gleaner Life Insurance Society
- Greek Catholic Union of the USA (GCU)
- Independent Order of Foresters
- Knights of Columbus
- Knights of Peter Claver, Inc.
- KSKJ Life, American Slovenian Catholic Union
- Modern Woodmen of America
- Order of the Sons of Hermann in the State of Texas
- Order of United Commercial Travelers of America
- Police and Firemen’s Insurance Association
- Polish Falcons of America
- Polish National Alliance of the United States of North America
- Polish Roman Catholic Union of America
- Royal Neighbors of America
- Slovene National Benefit Society
- Sons of Norway
- Supreme Council of the Royal Arcanum
- Thrivent
- Ukrainian National Association, Inc.
- United Transportation Union Insurance Association
- Western Fraternal Life Association
- Woodmen of the World and/or Assured Life Association
- Woodmen of the World/Omaha Woodmen Life Insurance Society
- WSA Fraternal Life
And in Canada:
- FaithLife Financial
- Grand Orange Lodge of British America Benefit Fund
- Independent Order of Foresters
- Knights of Columbus
- Order of United Commercial Travelers of America
- Supreme Council of the Royal Arcanum
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Alan Axelrod International Encyclopedia of Secret Societies and Fraternal Orders New York; Facts on File, inc 1997 p.179
- ^ "Milestones in History". Archived from the original on 2014-01-12. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
- ^ Alvin J. Schmidt Fraternal Orders (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press), 1930, p. 82.
- ^ Schmidt p.46
- ^ "Milestones in History". Archived from the original on 2014-01-12. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
- ^ Aexlrod pp.24, 179
- ^ Schmidt p.46
- ^ Schmidt pp.226-7
- ^ Schmidt p.227
- ^ "Member Societies". Archived from the original on 2013-09-19. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
External links[]
- Organizations established in 1913
- Supraorganizations
- 1913 establishments in Illinois
- Fraternal orders