Gamma Phi Society

Gamma Phi Society was established sometime before 1833 at the Hamilton Literary & Theological Institution (now Colgate University) in Hamilton, New York as a literary society for students.^[1][2] Its actual founding date is unknown.^[1] Gamma Phi was one of the first student societies at the college and marked the start of Greek life on campus.^[1][3] It was joined by the Pi Delta literary society around 1834.^[4][2]

In 1840, the faculty intervened to dissolve Gamma Phi and Pi Delta due to the active competition for membership between the two literary societies.^[5][2] Gamma Phi's members merged into the Adelphian Society, a new campus literary society, in 1840.^[2][3][6]

Some members of the society transferred to the University of Rochester where they established the Delphic Society in 1850.^[3][6][7] William James Milne, a member of the Delphic Society, established a second Delphic Society at Geneseo Normal School (now State University of New York at Geneseo) in October 1871.^[3][6][7] The Geneseo society formed the statewide, and later national, Delphic Fraternity or Gamma Sigma Tau in 1871.^[6][7]

In 1880, the Adelphian Society became the Beta Theta chapter of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity.^[8][9]

• List of literary societies in the United States
• List of societies at Colgate University