In 1905, Paul Percy Harris, a young Chicago lawyer, decided to establish an organization
that would provide business and professional men with an opportunity to gather regularly and
discuss issues of common concern. He saw the organization as a way to bring about respect
and ethical practices among businesspeople, and to facilitate professional advancement among
members. In an effort to minimize the possibility of internal disharmony, Harris decided
that membership in the club should be limited to one representative from each business and
professional occupational classification. The first meeting of the club took place on
February 23, 1905, when Harris met with a couple of business associates to finalize plans
for the organization. At the meeting it was decided that the location of regular meetings
would take place at the offices of members, and would rotate from place to place each
meeting. It was this policy of rotating the locations of weekly meetings which led to the
club being called "The Rotary Club." As news of Harris' organization spread, Rotary Clubs
began popping up in other major cities in the U.S. and Canada. In December of 1912, a
meeting was held among prominent Milwaukee businesspeople with the purpose of starting a
Milwaukee Rotary Club.
Milwaukee Rotarians met officially for the first time on January 29, 1913. At this meeting,
the first officers of the club were elected, including the first President of the Club,
Edgar D. Haven. The members also laid down a set of principles that they thought should
guide the club:
- To develop and exchange among its members the newest, best, and most successful
business ideas, and to promote progressive and honorable business methods;
- To arouse and encourage civic pride and loyalty; and to promote the civic, commercial,
and industrial development of Milwaukee;
- To promote good fellowship by strengthening the ties of friendship among its
members;
- To promote a feeling of democracy or equal worthiness between and among the various
occupations, each of which is necessary to perform some needed service to society;
- To broaden the horizon of each member by contact and exchange of ideas with men
engaged in separate and widely different pursuits.
One of the earliest civic concerns of members was that of local youth, a concern which has
shown itself in numerous club initiatives aimed at their benefit. In 1915 the club began a
tradition of holding an annual Christmas dinner for impoverished Milwaukee boys. In 1920,
the club established a scholarship fund to help economically desperate students pay for
their education. Early in its history the club also played a leading role in organizing a
Civic Alliance in the city, with the purpose of providing a forum for the consideration of
issues which affected the city. At the conclusion of World War II, Milwaukee Rotarians were
deeply involved in the formation of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, a group of community
leaders who met regularly to provide for the needs of the city. One of their major
accomplishments was the bringing of professional baseball to the city in 1953 in the form of
the Milwaukee Braves.
In 1957, the club began meeting regularly at the newly constructed War Memorial Center. In
March of 1958, local Rotarian Clifford Randall was selected to be the President of Rotary
International for 1958-1959. The late 1950s and early 1960s saw the formation of additional
Rotary Clubs in other parts of the Milwaukee metropolitan area, including West Milwaukee,
Mitchell Field (Cudahy and South Milwaukee), Brookfield, and North Shore (Whitefish Bay,
Glendale, etc.). Throughout the years, the Milwaukee club has continued its commitment to
the community. A sampling of their efforts can be seen in their creation of a low-vision
clinic, the building of the Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, the establishment of Camp
Enterprise, the implementation of Reading is Fundamental programs in local schools, and
their support of students interested in foreign exchange programs.
For further information on the Rotary Club of Milwaukee's history, consult the two club
histories located in series 1 of this collection, The Rotary Club of
Milwaukee, 1913-1980: The Impact of the Club and Its Members on the Milwaukee
Community and Good Fellowship. Good Will. Good Works.: The
Rotary Club of Milwaukee.
