The oldest operating charity in New York is set to take a historic vote on whether to allow female membership after 235 years of being a men-only club.
The members of the New York chapter of the Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick will vote next week, which will dictate whether the first women will be admitted since the charity’s inception in 1784. The Friendly Sons already changed their monogender rules earlier this year by inviting the first-ever female guests to speak at their annual gala in March.
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and broadcast journalist Maria Bartiromo were both invited to speak at the black-tie event in New York City.
“I want to congratulate you for inviting your wives, your daughters, your moms, any women you invited here tonight,” Haley said of the historic occasion. “It is a significant milestone. It only took 235 years. Way to go guys.”
Some were not certain that the measure would pass, given its two-century tradition.
“This is a charitable organization, and there is no need to have only men running it,” said one businesswoman. “They need women to shore up their membership, but I’m not so sure this motion is going to pass.”
The charity was founded to help Irish immigrants in the latter part of the 18th century and fortified itself as a powerful and effective nonprofit organization, even once counting George Washington as a member. The motion, which will come to a vote on Monday, notes the change of eras and the expectation that associations broaden their inclusivity.
“While it was perfectly acceptable to establish an all-male society in 1784 and to maintain the all-male policy for more than two centuries, cultural and social norms have changed such that organizations … are expected to be more inclusive,” the motion said in part.
The Philadelphia chapter, the first of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick that was founded in 1771, began admitting women as members in 2016. Then-Irish Ambassador to the U.S. Anne Anderson was admitted as an honorary member.
