The oldest service-club in the world

1905 – On February 23, in Chicago, Illinois, attorney Paul Harris, coal dealer Sylvester Schiele, textile merchant Hiram Shorey, and mining engineer Gus Loehr held the first Rotary meeting, marking the founding of the Rotary Club of Chicago.

At the turn of the century, Chicago was a booming industrial city offering opportunities for young entrepreneurs, but it also faced the challenges and vices of a modern metropolis. U.S. writer Upton Sinclair famously described the city as "The Jungle." Paul Percy Harris, a young attorney from the countryside, found the city unwelcoming and impersonal. Seeking to create a circle of friends, he invited several businessmen to a meeting in his office on February 23, 1905. Four young men gathered for this initial meeting of what would become the Rotary Club of Chicago: Harris, mining engineer Gustavus Loehr, textile merchant Hiram Shorey, and coal dealer Sylvester Schiele.

The name "Rotary" was chosen because members planned to rotate meetings among their offices. Whether by chance or design, this founding group already reflected two of Rotary's defining principles: professional diversity and tolerance of religion and origin. The founders were members of Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish communities and represented German, Irish, and Swedish heritage.

Global Expansion

The Chicago club was quickly followed by others in the U.S. In 1910, Rotary became international with the establishment of a club in Winnipeg, Canada. In 1911, the idea reached Europe with the formation of clubs in Dublin and London.

In Germany, the first club was founded in Hamburg in 1927. By 1937, 43 clubs had been established before voluntarily dissolving under increasing pressure from the Nazi regime. Rotary was re-established in Germany in 1949. As of April 2018, Germany had 1,082 clubs with over 55,792 members. Globally, Rotary operates under the umbrella of Rotary International, headquartered in Evanston, Illinois (USA), with approximately 35,200 clubs in more than 200 countries, comprising over 1.2 million members.

No Longer a Men-Only Club

Initially, gender was not a consideration for membership, and there were even two early women's clubs in the U.S. However, a uniform constitution adopted at the 1921 convention in Edinburgh restricted membership to men. Rotary evolved into a male-dominated organization until 1987, when a U.S. Supreme Court decision reopened membership to women. Today, over 200,000 women are among the 1.2 million global members.

The First Service Club

Rotary introduced a new type of organization to the public: the service club. Members voluntarily gathered to foster friendship and pursue charitable goals. Although the first Rotary Club meetings in 1905 were not service-oriented, the Chicago club soon began addressing social issues. Today, each club independently manages a variety of projects, focusing on humanitarian aid, education, and youth development. Additionally, Rotary supports global programs, the most notable being the fight against polio.

The Rotary Foundation, established in 1917, provides financial support for many club initiatives, distributing over $100 million annually.

The History of Rotary

Interest in Rotary's history has grown, especially since the 100th anniversary of its founding in 2005. The Rotary Global History Fellowship (RGHF) provides extensive resources online (www.rghfhome.org).

Key Milestones in Rotary History

• 1905: First meeting of the Rotary Club of Chicago on February 23.

• 1908: Club No. 2 established in San Francisco.

• 1910: 16 clubs formed the National Association of Rotary Clubs; the first club outside the U.S. established in Winnipeg, Canada.

• 1911: First European clubs formed in London, Dublin, and Belfast.

• 1912: Name changed to the International Association of Rotary Clubs.

• 1914: Rotary reached 100 clubs worldwide.

• 1917: Rotary Foundation established.

• 1918: First clubs in South America.

• 1922: Name changed to Rotary International.

• 1925: First club in Austria (Vienna) established; Rotary Regional Office opened in Zurich.

• 1927: First club in Germany (Hamburg).

• 1937/38: Nazi regime pressure led to the voluntary dissolution of 43 German clubs (1,082 members) and 11 Austrian clubs (224 members).

• 1943: Rotary conference in London proposed a cultural and educational exchange institution, later becoming UNESCO.

• 1945: Rotary members contributed to founding the United Nations in San Francisco.

• 1947: Donations after Paul Harris' death led to establishing the Rotary Foundation's scholarship program.

• 1949: Germany and Austria rejoined Rotary International.

• 1984: Rotary launched PolioPlus, aiming to immunize every child against polio by its 100th anniversary.

• 1989: Rotary opened membership to women and established the first clubs in former Eastern Bloc countries.

• 2004: Rotary, in partnership with WHO, UNICEF, and CDC, contributed to immunizing over 2 billion children against polio, reducing annual infections by over 99%.

• 2005: Rotary celebrated its centennial.

• 2016: Rotary had 1.2 million members in over 35,221 clubs across 530 districts in more than 200 countries and regions.