Xi Chapter
University of Michigan
History
Founded at the University of Michigan in 1858, the Xi Chapter of
Zeta Psi is one of the few fraternities on campus that enjoy a
storied and renowned past. The Xi Chapter was founded by Liberty
Emery Holden, a transfer student from the Chi Chapter at
Colby
University in Waterville, Maine. Holden was a proud Zete who looked
to bring the same close-knit society to Ann Arbor. He befriended
James Franklin Spalding and proposed starting the great brotherhood
of Zeta Psi at the University of Michigan. The men recruited Horace Halbert, Henry Augustine Humphrey, and Lewis McLouth, gentlemen who
were well known for their chivalry, academics, and esteem on campus.
The five men held their first meetings of the young society at
Spalding’s residence on Maynard Street and formally became the Beta
Chapter of Zeta Psi on June 22nd and June 23rd
of 1858. The Chapter flourished, becoming well known among the
University of Michigan faculty for its rapid growth and presence on
campus, unparalleled by any society of its size and youth. This was
proof that the gentlemen that comprised the Chapter were the best
and the most dedicated that the University had to offer.
However, the young chapter faced many difficulties that challenged its brotherhood—namely the onset of the Civil War. Many Zetes belonging to the early Beta Chapter decided that it was their duty to valiantly serve the Union and their country in the Civil War, which broke out in 1861. This left the Beta Chapter with only two active members by the end of the year. But, Zeta Psi’s incredible resilience revived the brotherhood in 1862, when Lewis Pilcher and Homer Wright worked so energetically to recruit other gentlemen that would fulfill the esteemed legacy of Zeta Psi at the University. These pioneering men formed the newly chartered Xi Chapter that we know today. Their hard work came to fruition in 1864 upon return of other Zetes from the Civil War, injecting youth, honor, and battle-hardened brotherhood back into their beloved Xi Chapter. The brotherhood grew exceptionally well from the military leadership that its members developed from the Civil War.
The Xi Chapter of Zeta Psi began to earn its name as an elite,
close-knit, popular, and secret society on the campus of the
University of Michigan for more than 150 years
after. The resilient
fraternity produced some of the University’s finest students,
businessmen, athletes, and leaders that helped make an indelible
mark on the Xi Chapter’s unparalleled legacy. For years, its
unwavering and faithful alumni helped finance and construct Zeta Psi’s Chapter Houses; Xi Zetes are most grateful to them for their
years of continued support.
