Alibi Club

In 1884, seven Washingtonians founded the Alibi Club, a private social club of prominent political and social figures. Its name derived from the club practice of providing an alibi when the member's family questioned the whereabouts of a member. The club's founding purpose was to foster "mutual improvement, education, and enlightenment" among members of Washington society. Membership also extended to out-of-town figures from New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia, most likely to share information between communities and help in the development of strategies to address civic issues. Throughout its history, it has hosted numerous world leaders, including King Leopold of Belgium, Prince Albert of Belgium, Prince Henry of Prussia, and Viceroy Li Hongzhang. ==Membership==

Membership is limited to fifty, with new members admitted upon unanimous vote after the death of a previous member. Membership is not revealed to outsiders, and the first public notice of membership is often in a member's obituary. his father, Senator Prescott Bush, Supreme Court Justices Potter Stewart and Stanley F. Reed, Allen Dulles and John Foster Dulles, Speaker of the House Nicholas Longworth, and General George C. Marshall. • David Acheson • Dean Acheson • Theodore Achilles • Lamar Alexander • Chandler Anderson • Truxtun Beale • Samuel Kaufman • Benjamin Mosby McKelway • John Lord O'Brian • Thomas Nelson Page • Stanley F. Reed • Henry Roosevelt • Jules Henri de Sibour • Potter Stewart • James W. Symington • Maxwell Taylor • J.W. Wadsworth • John F. Wilkins • Clarence R. Wilson • Blanton Winship • Jerauld Wright • William M. Wright • John Adams Bross • C. Boyden Gray ==See also==