Skull and Bones, also known as The Order, Order 322, or The Brotherhood of Death, is a secret group for senior students at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. It is one of the "Big Three" and "Ancient Eight" at Yale. Skull and Bones is the oldest senior-class society at the university. It is a well-known organization because of its powerful members and the conspiracy theories associated with it.

History

Skull and Bones was created in December 1832 after a disagreement between Yale debating groups called Linonia, Brothers in Unity, and the Calliopean Society about the Phi Beta Kappa awards for that year. William Huntington Russell and Alphonso Taft started "The Order of the Skull and Bones." The first senior members were Russell, Taft, and thirteen others.

In 1871, Lyman Bagg wrote about Skull and Bones in his book Four Years at Yale. He said that the society’s secrecy was a mystery that students often talked about.

In 1974, Brooks Mather Kelley wrote that interest in Yale’s senior societies grew because younger students who were part of freshman, sophomore, or junior groups could return to campus later and share stories about the groups’ traditions. Graduating seniors, however, were no longer on campus and could not share such information.

Since its founding, Skull and Bones has chosen fifteen junior students each year to join the society. It selects new members every spring during Yale’s "Tap Day," a tradition that began in 1879. The society chooses students it believes are leaders or important figures on campus.

In the 1960s, secret societies changed their practices because of criticism about favoring certain groups or being unfair. Skull and Bones admitted its first Black member in 1965 and included the president of Yale’s gay student group in 1975.

Yale allowed both boys and girls to attend in 1969, which caused some secret societies, like St. Anthony Hall, to allow both genders. Skull and Bones remained all-male until 1992. In 1971, the Bones class tried to invite women to join, but alumni opposed the idea and called them the "bad club." This issue was debated for many years.

In 1991, the class of 1991 invited seven women to join the next year’s group, which caused a conflict with the alumni association. The trust changed the locks on the society’s building, and members met elsewhere. A vote by members decided to allow women, but some alumni, led by William F. Buckley, tried to stop the change by asking for a legal action. Others, like John Kerry and R. Inslee Clark, Jr., supported allowing women. The issue was discussed in The New York Times. In October 1991, alumni voted to accept the Class of 1992, and the legal action was stopped.

In recent years, Skull and Bones, like other top Yale groups, has changed a lot, according to The Atlantic. The society selected its first group of members with no white people in 2020. Few people whose families were once part of the society are now members, and people who support social changes are valued. The class of 2021 did not include any conservatives.

Skull and Bones is part of the "Big Three," which includes Scroll and Key and Wolf’s Head, and the "Ancient Eight," which includes Book and Snake, Elihu, Berzelius, Mace and Chain, and St. Elmo’s.

Symbols and traditions

The society's badge is made of gold and has a skull held up by crossed bones. The number 322 is on the lower jaw of the skull. Members of the society honor Eulogia, an imaginary goddess who represents the ability to speak well. The society is also called The Order, Order 322, and The Brotherhood of Death. People sometimes call the society "Bones," and members are referred to as "Bonesmen," "Members of The Order," or "Initiated to The Order."

The number 322 appears on the society's badge. It is widely believed to represent the year 322 BC, when the Greek speaker Demosthenes died. A letter found in Yale's archives suggests that members of the society use 322 BC as a starting point for counting years instead of using the system called "anno Domini." In 322 BC, the Lamian War ended, and the death of Demosthenes led to the Athenians changing their government. They created a system where only people who owned 2,000 drachmas or more could be citizens. Some documents have been found with dates written using "Anno-Demostheni," a system based on the year 322 BC.

One story says the number 322 refers to "founded in '32, 2nd corps," which might relate to a group at a German university. Another possibility is that 322 connects to a Freemasonic Lodge called Lodge 322 in Suffolk, England. This lodge was created in 1811, 21 years before Skull and Bones was formed in 1832. Some believe this shows a quiet connection between the two groups, even though they are both secret societies.

Skull and Bones is known for taking items from other Yale groups or buildings. Members call this practice "crooking" and compete to find the most impressive stolen items. The society has been accused of keeping skulls that once belonged to Martin Van Buren, Geronimo, and Pancho Villa. In January 2010, Christie's decided not to sell a human skull that was linked to Skull and Bones.

Facilities

The Skull and Bones Hall, located at 64 High St. in New Haven, Connecticut, is also called the "Tomb." The building was constructed in three stages: the first wing was completed in 1856, the second wing in 1903, and Neo-Gothic towers designed by Davis were added to the rear garden in 1912. The front and side walls are made of Portland brownstone and follow an Egypto-Doric style. The architect may have been Alexander Jackson Davis or Henry Austin. Architectural historian Patrick Pinnell discusses the debate over the original architect in his 1999 book about Yale’s campus history. Pinnell suggests that the reuse of Davis’s towers in 1911 indicates Davis may have been involved in the original design, while Henry Austin likely designed the similar brownstone Egyptian Revival gates at the Grove Street Cemetery, built in 1845. Pinnell also describes how the Tomb’s appearance relates to nearby buildings, such as the Yale University Art Gallery.

The 1912 tower additions created a small courtyard at the building’s rear, designed by Evarts Tracy and Edgerton Swartwout of Tracy and Swartwout, a New York firm. In the late 1990s, landscape architects from New Hampshire, Saucier and Flynn, designed the wrought iron fence that surrounds part of the complex.

Skull and Bones members gather at Deer Island during late summer to learn about each other. The society owns and manages Deer Island, a retreat on the St. Lawrence River (44°21′33″N 75°54′34″W). Alexandra Robbins, an author who wrote a book about Yale secret societies, included the following quote:
— "George W., Knight of Eulogia"

Russell Trust Association

The Russell Trust Association is the official name of the Skull and Bones Society. It was formed in 1856 by William Huntington Russell, who was the president, and Daniel Coit Gilman, who was the treasurer. The association manages the society's assets, such as its endowment and property, and is responsible for maintaining the property.

In 2016, the Russell Trust Association, which filed under the name RTA Incorporated, reported having $3,906,458 in assets, including Deer Island and the Skull and Bones Hall. As of 2024, the organization's endowment was worth $17 million.

Notable members

Skull and Bones is a secret society at Yale University. Its members have been linked to a group of powerful people. Lanny Davis wrote in the 1968 Yale yearbook about the society’s membership rules:

For most of its history, Skull and Bones only allowed white Protestant men to join. While Yale had rules that limited membership for certain ethnic and religious groups, the senior societies, including Skull and Bones, were even more strict. Some Roman Catholics were able to join, but Jewish people were often not allowed. Over time, some groups that were excluded were able to join through sports. For example, Al Hessberg, the first Jewish member, and Levi Jackson, the first African-American member, were invited to join because they were standout athletes. However, Levi Jackson did not accept the invitation and instead joined another society called Berzelius.

Judith Ann Schiff, a researcher at Yale University Library, wrote that Skull and Bones did not keep member names secret until the 1970s. Before that, meetings and practices were private. Researchers could find member information by collecting data from public sources. In 1985, Charlotte Thomson Iserbyt gave Antony C. Sutton, an author, rosters and records from her father, who was a member. Sutton kept the information private for more than 15 years because he worried the copied pages might reveal the identity of the person who shared them. In 2003, this information was included as an appendix in the book Fleshing out Skull and Bones.

Three former U.S. presidents are among Skull and Bones’ notable members: William Howard Taft (son of a founder), George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush. In the 2004 presidential election, both the Democratic and Republican candidates were members of Skull and Bones. When asked about being part of the society, John Kerry, a former presidential candidate, said, “Not much, because it’s a secret.”

Members of Skull and Bones are given unique nicknames. Examples include “Long Devil” for the tallest member, “Boaz” for a football captain, and “Sherrife” for the future leader of the society. Many nicknames come from literature, religion, or myths. For instance, Lewis Lapham was called “Sancho Panza,” and this nickname was later passed to Tex McCrary. Other members included Averell Harriman, who was called “Thor”; Henry Luce, called “Baal”; McGeorge Bundy, called “Odin”; and George H. W. Bush, called “Magog.”

Popular culture

• In his 1976 book The Me Decade, Tom Wolfe wrote about Skull and Bones, a secret group at Yale. He described how students outside the group wondered for 80 years about the activities inside the society. On Thursday nights, members of Skull and Bones walked silently in a line, wearing black flannel suits, white shirts, and black ties with gold pins, toward their large Greek Revival buildings, which had no windows.

• The Doonesbury comic strips, created by Garry Trudeau (a Yale graduate and member of another Yale group called Scroll and Key), sometimes included jokes or direct mentions of Skull and Bones. These references appeared in 1980, December 1988, and when the society first allowed women to join. Some jokes focused on George H. W. Bush, who was a member.

• In his autobiography, George W. Bush wrote, "During my senior year, I joined Skull and Bones, a secret society. I can’t say anything else about it because it is so secret."

• In her novel Ninth House, author Leigh Bardugo describes secret groups at Yale, including Skull and Bones.

• The films The Skulls (2000), The Skulls II (2002), and The Skulls III (2004) are based on stories and theories about Skull and Bones. The third film focuses on the first woman to be invited to join the society.

• In the movie The Good Shepherd (2006), the main character becomes a member of Skull and Bones while studying at Yale.

• In the 2013 film The Great Gatsby, based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, Nick Carraway calls Tom Buchanan "Boaz," and Tom calls Nick "Shakespeare." Earlier in the film, Nick says he met Tom at Yale. This suggests they may have both been members of Skull and Bones. In the novel, Yale is not named, but it is mentioned that they were at a college in New Haven and were in the same senior society.

• In Season 1, Episode 33 of the 1966 Batman TV series, "Fine Finny Fiends," a guest at Wayne Manor points out a portrait of Bruce Wayne’s great-grandfather wearing a Yale sweater. He asks if the ancestor was a member of Skull and Bones. Aunt Harriet replies that he was not, but that he founded the society.

• In The Simpsons (Season 8, Episode "The Canine Mutiny," 1997), Mr. Burns jokes that a dog he meets did a secret handshake and says, "I believe this dog was in Skull and Bones."

• In a Family Guy episode, "No Chris Left Behind" (2007), Chris Griffin is invited to join Skull and Bones by his uncle, Carter Pewterschmidt. As part of the initiation, Carter and Chris adopt an orphan, lock him out of a car filled with toys and a puppy, and then drive away. Later, at the initiation ceremony, Chris is told to spend "seven minutes in heaven" with the society’s most senior member. Chris feels uncomfortable and convinces Carter to help him return to his old school.

• On Meet the Press, Tim Russert asked President George W. Bush and John Kerry about their Skull and Bones memberships. Bush replied, "It’s so secret we can’t talk about it." Kerry responded, "You trying to get rid of me here?"

• In The Simpsons (Season 28, Episode "The Caper Chase," 2017), Mr. Burns visits Skull and Bones to meet with Bourbon Verlander about for-profit universities.

• In Gossip Girl (Season 2, Episode "New Heaven Can Wait," 2008), Chuck Bass is kidnapped by Skull and Bones members at Yale. They test his loyalty, believing he might be a good candidate for the society. Chuck refuses the offer and tricks them into performing illegal acts, which he films to use as blackmail if needed.

• The 1970 television movie The Brotherhood of the Bell, starring Glenn Ford, is a thriller about a secret group that closely resembles Skull and Bones.

Conspiracy theories

Skull and Bones is mentioned in books and movies that say the group is involved in a secret plan to control the world. Some people have said that Skull and Bones is part of the Illuminati or that it controls the CIA.