American Whig–Cliosophic Society

The American Whig–Cliosophic Society

Formation	1765
Type	Student debating organization
Headquarters	Princeton, New Jersey
Parent organization	Princeton University
Website	whigclio.princeton.edu

The American Whig–Cliosophic Society (Whig-Clio) is a political, literary, and debating society at Princeton University and the oldest debate union in the United States.^[1] Its precursors, the American Whig Society and the Cliosophic Society, were founded at Princeton in 1769 and 1765 by James Madison, William Paterson, Oliver Ellsworth, and Aaron Burr.

Originally two separate organizations, the American Whig Society and the Cliosophic Society were the primary student organizations at Princeton until the end of the 19th century. Competition from eating clubs, sports teams, and other student activities drew members away from the societies.

Prompted by declining memberships, the societies were merged to form the American Whig–Cliosophic Society in 1928. The organization's modern role is to serve as an umbrella organization for political and debating activity at Princeton. The Society frequently hosts events open to all Princeton students, as well as to faculty and community members. These include the Society's monthly Senate Debates on topics related to national or campus policy, lectures and discussion dinners with guest speakers, and social events. The Society also oversees four subsidiary groups: the International Relations Council (IRC), Princeton's Model Congress (PMC), Princeton Debate Panel (PDP), and Princeton Mock Trial (PMT).

Subsidiaries[]

Samuel Alito '72, former captain of the Princeton Debate Panel

Princeton Debate Panel (PDP)[]

The Princeton Debate Panel competes regularly against teams such as the Oxford Union, the Cambridge Union Society, and the Hart House Debating Club. It competes most frequently in the American Parliamentary Debate Association league, of which it is a founding member, and where it currently holds the record for most Team of the Year (TOTY), Speaker of the Year (SOTY), and Novice of the Year (NOTY) awards.^[2] It also won (as of 2018) five National Championships and a record eight National Championship top speaker awards.^[3] It also hosted the World Universities Debating Championships three times. Its alumni include Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito,^[4] international relations scholar Joseph Nye,^[5] and diplomat John Foster Dulles.^[6][7]

Princeton Mock Trial (PMT)[]

Princeton Mock Trial is a top-15 nationally-ranked mock trial program.^[8] It ranked 2nd in the American Mock Trial Association National Championship in 2013 and won the AMTA Regional Tournament held at Princeton in 2008. It annually hosts a Moot Court tournament for high school students from throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.

International Relations Council (IRC)[]

Adlai Stevenson II '22, an active member of the Whig Society and later recipient of the James Madison Award. The Princeton Debate Panel's annual collegiate tournament is named in his honor.

The International Relations Council is the biggest subsidiary of Whig-Clio in terms of membership. It hosts Sunday weekly meetings for students to discuss international events and developments. It also sponsors two annual international affairs conferences: one for the high school level Princeton Model United Nations Conference (PMUNC) and one for the collegiate Princeton Interactive Crisis Simulation (PICSIM). PMUNC, the high school Model UN conference hosted by the IRC, attracts some 1000 high school students from around the world.

Model Congress (PMC)[]

Currently,^[when?] Princeton Model Congress offers high school students the opportunity to simulate the experience of serving in Congress, sitting on the bench as a Supreme Court Justice, counseling the Commander in Chief as a member of the Presidential Cabinet or covering the Federal Government in print as a part of the Press Corps. The conference draws approximately 1,200 participants.^{[citation needed]}

General[]

Woodrow Wilson Honorary Debate Panel[]

The Woodrow Wilson Honorary Debate Panel (WWHDP) sponsors and promotes prize debates at Princeton University. Incumbent to this purpose is the goal of not only rewarding but fostering top-caliber debate at Princeton. Annually-held debates and oratory contests include the Lynde Prize Debate, the Class of 1876 Memorial Prize for Debate in Politics, the Maclean Prize and Junior Orator Awards, the Walter E. Hope Prizes in Speaking and Debating, the Spencer Trask Medals for Debating, and the William Rusher ’44 Prize in Debating.

James Madison Award for Distinguished Public Service[]

The James Madison Award for Distinguished Public Service is a longstanding tradition and the highest distinction bestowed by the Whig-Cliosophic Society. Past recipients include:^{[citation needed]}

Governing Council[]

The Governing Council of the Whig-Clio Society is in charge of managing the affairs of the Society. The positions of President, Vice President, Director of Program, President of the Senate, Secretary, and Whig and Clio Party Chairs are elected by all members of the Society to serve 1-year terms. The elected officers also select a corp of appointed officers.

Notably, Tina Ravitz, Class of 1976, was the Society's first female President.

Notable alumni[]

The Society was founded in 1765 by prominent Princetonians including President James Madison and Vice-President Aaron Burr. Alumni in modern times include President Woodrow Wilson, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, Secretaries of State James Baker and George Shultz, and Senators Adlai Stevenson and Ted Cruz. A full list of notable Whig-Clio alumni is linked below.

Other historic societies[]

• The Philomathean Society of the University of Pennsylvania
• The Philolexian Society of Columbia University
• The Philodemic Society of Georgetown University
• The Washington Literary Society and Debating Union and Jefferson Literary and Debating Society of the University of Virginia
• The Union-Philanthropic (Literary) Society of Hampden–Sydney College
• The Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• The Phi Kappa Literary Society of University of Georgia in Athens
• The Demosthenian Literary Society of The University of Georgia in Athens

See also[]

• Father Bombo's Pilgrimage to Mecca

Related[]

• : Cambridge Union Society
• : Oxford Union Society
• : University of St Andrews Union Debating Society
• : The Durham Union Society
• : London School of Economics, Grimshaw International Relations Club
• :Yale Debate Association
• :Berkeley Forum
• :Jefferson Literary and Debating Society at the University of Virginia
• :Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• :Olivaint Conférence
• :Olivaint Conference of Belgium

References[]

External links[]

• Official Web Site: American Whig-Cliosophic Society