Before fraternities and sororities got the reputation they’re known for today, they were simply close-knit groups of people wanting to achieve a higher level of knowledge together. Many of the Presidents of the United States have been members of one fraternity or another, but was Barack Obama one of them?
Barack Obama was not a part of any fraternity during his time at Occidental College, Columbia University, or Harvard Law School. While Obama wasn’t a part of Greek life, he did get involved in other groups such as activist organizations and athletic teams.
Read on to find out more about Obama’s time in college, and which former presidents of the United States were members of fraternities.
Obama’s College Education
While it’s true that Occidental College and Columbia University both have Greek life options on campus, Obama did not choose to join a fraternity. So what are some of the student groups that he was involved in?
The close friends that Obama made throughout his time in college he met through residence halls or organizations that he joined. His first public speech was made during his second year at Occidental College, and as a part of an activist group on campus, he called for the release of Nelson Mandela from prison.
Obama had been a part of a basketball team since his high school days, and he played for Occidental College as well. Throughout his life, basketball remained a way for him to connect with others as well as stay in shape, and he routinely played on the White House’s court.
He was also a part of academic clubs and organizations, the most notable being in his time at Harvard Law School, with the Harvard Law Review. Obama became an editor of the law review at the end of his first year because of his high grades and based on a writing competition he entered.
At the end of his second year, he was elected president of the law review and made history in becoming the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. According to Richard Epstein, a professor who taught at the same time as Obama taught there, said that Obama was elected president because he convinced some conservatives that he would protect their interests, and “because people on the other side believed he would give them a fair shake.”
While Obama wasn’t a part of a fraternity, he doesn’t condemn them. While talking about the University of Oklahoma fraternity’s racist chant, Obama acknowledges that sometimes people do stupid things, and though they shouldn’t have done the chant, their fraternity isn’t what should be blamed for it.
Obama argued that how the public reacts to a situation like this one is the most important thing. “On that front, there’s no doubt that the overwhelming number of students at the University of Oklahoma, and around the country, think that this kind of behavior is deplorable and don’t accept it.”
Presidents in Greek Life
Presidents being parts of various fraternities is not uncommon. Of the total 45 presidents there have been, 18 were involved in Greek life, many as full members while some were honorary members.
Thomas Jefferson, the earliest president to be in a fraternity, was a part of the Flat Hat Club or F.H.C. at the College of William and Mary. James A. Garfield was in Delta Upsilon at Williams College, Chester A. Arthur was in Psi Upsilon at Union College, and Benjamin Harrison was in Phi Delta Theta and Delta Chi.
More recently, George H. W. Bush was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon at Yale, Bill Clinton is an honorary member of Phi Beta Sigma, and George W. Bush is a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon at Yale like his father.
Watch the YouTube video below to find out more about the ups and downs of life in a fraternity.