Skull and Bones America’s Secret Establishment

The Beginning Established in 1832 by William Huntington Russell and Alphonso Taft Network of Graduates Traces Origins Back to 18th and 19th Century Germany and the German Illuminati Worship of Eulogia, 322

The Founders Secretary of War, 1876 U.S. Attorney General U.S. Minister to Austria, U.S. Ambassador to Russia, Teacher, Military Expert. Organized Conn. Militia in Civil War Served in Conn. State Legislature Helped Organize Republican Party Established Russell Trust Association, Which Funds Skull and Bones

Prominent Families

Old Line American Families The Whitneys The Bundys The Lords The Rockefellers The Harrimans The Tafts The Vanderbilts The Bushs All Families Have Three Things in Common: Money Power Skull and Bones

Prominent Members

William Averell Harriman Skull and Bones Class of 1913 Father and Brother Were Also Members Established W.A. Harriman and Company Merged in the 1930s with Brown Brothers By the 1970s, Brown Brothers, Harriman had Assets of one-half billion dollars Positions held Under President Truman: The U.S. Secretary of Commerce The U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union The U.S. Ambassador to the UK Positions Held Under President Kennedy: Ambassador at Large Asst. Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs

William Collins Whitney Skull and Bones class of 1863 Prominent New York Lawyer Actively Involved in Democratic Party Affairs Opposed Tammany Hall and “Boss” Tweed Supported Grover Cleveland Named Secretary of the U.S. Navy The Whitney Group

Strange Whitney Connections

The Quintessential Product of Skull and Bones

Henry L. Stimson

Skull and Bones class of 1888 Statesman, Served in Five Presidential Administrations First Job: Wall Street. First Boss: Sherman Evarts, Bones class of Second Job: Joins Practice of Elihu Root, One of the Most Powerful New York Lawyers of the Time. Set Up By William Collins Whitney Bonesmen He Hires Along the Way: Thomas D. Thacher (class of 1904) Harvey H. Bundy (class of 1909) George L. Harrison (class of 1910) Robert A. Lovett (class of 1918) Arthur E. Palmer (class of 1930) Most Powerful Bones Connection: William Howard Taft

Stimson-Taft Connection Stimson One of Two Former Bonesmen in Taft’s Eleven-Man Cabinet Secretary of War Chief Justice Taft Swears Stimson in as Secretary of State, Under Herbet Hoover

The Tafts

Taft Family Tree

Sons of Alphonso Taft William Howard Taft Skull and Bones Class of nd U.S. Secretary of War 27th President of the United States 10th Chief Justice Horace Dutton Taft Skull and Bones class of 1883 Established The Taft School Headmaster until 1936 Maintained special connection to Yale

Sons of William Howard Taft Charles Phelps Taft II Skull and Bones class of 1918 Dropped out of Yale to fight in WWI Director of U.S. Community War Service Director of Economic Affairs Mayer of Cincinnati, “Mr. Cincinnati” Robert Alphonso Taft Skull and Bones Class of 1910 Spent 14 years in U.S. Senate “Mr. Republican” Co-authored Taft-Hartley Act Isolationist

Thomas Prindle Taft Skull and Bones class of 1971 Grandson of Charles Phelps Taft II First Fourth Generation Skull and Bones Member

Skull and Bones

Photo Credits