Phi Kappa Sigma was founded by Samuel Brown Wylie Mitchell (pictured left) at the University of Pennsylvania on August 16, 1850.

Fascinated by the prospect of fraternal relations with his fellowman, Mitchell set out to found a new, secret order

in the restricted life of the university at that time. His papers indicate that on August 16, 1850, he had determined to install a new order on the campus in the fall of 1850.

                                           Between August 16 and

October 19, 1850, Mitchell sought six other men to constitute the Alpha Chapter of Phi Kappa Sigma. The formal organization of the Alpha Chapter occurred at the home of James Bayard Hodge on October 19, 1850.

Mitchell, born August 16, 1828, attained a high level of achievement at the University, including earning B.A., M.A., and M.D. degrees. He spent a year as an assistant physician at Philadelphia Hospital and was responsible for supervising the Fraternity's growth at the University of Pennsylvania and the other schools where early chapters were established. Dr. Mitchell practiced medicine until he was commissioned on April 11, 1861, as a Major and Surgeon in the Union Army with the Eighteenth Pennsylvania U.S. Volunteers. He served with distinction until the expiration of his service on January 24, 1865. In March of the same year, Mitchell was made Lieutenant-Colonel U.S.V. for "gallant and meritorious service."

Dr. Mitchell was also an outstanding member of the Masons, and an active participant in the professional, social, cultural, and civic life of Philadelphia. James Chamberlain (likely the first pledge of the Alpha Chapter) wrote in 1850, "I remember with profound satisfaction and pleasure the kindly and genial appearance of our founder. A nobler man in ideas, sentiments, and character has rarely lived."

In the autumn of 1849, when Samuel Brown Wylie Mitchell matriculated in the sophomore class of the University directly after his graduation from Central High School in Philadelphia, the Delta Phi Fraternity established a chapter at the University of Pennsylvania. During the summer of 1850, a chapter of the Zeta Psi Fraternity established itself on campus. It is probable that the institution of chapters by these two social fraternities at the University of Pennsylvania inspired Mitchell to formulate in his own mind the ideals of a society that would emphasize good fellowship, pursuit of scholarly activities, and qualities of being a gentleman, all combined into a lifelong bond.

The idea of establishing the Fraternity at the University of Pennsylvania was first recorded in Samuel B.W. Mitchell's personal papers on August 16, 1850, which was also his twenty-second birthday. The date of his birthday, as well as that of the Fraternity, was destined to have a further significance when Dr. Mitchell died on August 16, 1879. When college opened for the fall term

of 1850, Samuel B. W. Mitchell had developed the basic principles of the Phi Kappa Sigma Fraternity. These included the Constitution and Ritual, the order’s name, and the design of badge (pictured left) - a Maltese cross supporting the six-pointed star, the letters Phi, Kappa, and Sigma, and the Skull and Bones. No modification, except in size, has ever been made to the badge originally designed by Dr. Mitchell.

As soon as the school opened for the autumn session, Mitchell communicated his ideas to Charles Hare Hutchinson. Hutchinson was impressed with Mitchell's ideas and explained them to Alfred Victor du Pont, John Thorne Stone, Andrew Adams Ripka, James Bayard Hodge, and Duane Williams. It was these seven men, with Mitchell serving as their leader, who organized Alpha Chapter and officially founded Phi Kappa Sigma on the l9th of October, 1850.

Fraternities were not welcomed by faculties and administrators of many universities prior to the American Civil War. Many chapters were forced to exist sub-rosa or become extinct, as a result of the antagonism evidenced toward social fraternities. Along with other fraternities, Phi Kappa Sigma was banned from the University of Pennsylvania campus in 1852. Dr. Mitchell was called before the Board of Trustees and asked "Why do you wear that 'Piratical' ensign?" His answer was not recorded, but he must have been convincing since the fraternity was allowed to maintain a sub-rosa existence with headquarters in Mitchell's rooms at the Philadelphia Hospital, where he later served as Assistant Physician.

While the fraternity operated at the clandestine level, Dr. Mitchell and his fellow brothers established chapters at more receptive institutions. Princeton and Lafayette were added in 1853, and Jefferson (now Washington & Jefferson), Dickinson, Franklin and Marshall, and the University of Virginia were added in 1854. In the mid 1850's, the University of Pennsylvania rescinded its ban on fraternities and in January, 1855, Phi Kappa Sigma was officially recognized by the school. Meetings of the Chapter were held in rented chapter rooms, without dormitory or dining facilities, in various sections of downtown Philadelphia until 1896, when a house was purchased adjacent to the university campus in West Philadelphia.

In the fall of 1985, Ronald W. Siggs, the Executive Director of the Phi Kappa Sigma Fraternity International Headquarters, in Valley Forge, PA came to Washington, DC to organize an alumni chapter for the Metro Washington area since there were so many local and regional Phi Kappa Sigma undergraduate chapters around the metro area. The alums that attended agreed such an organization would be nice to have for periodic social activities. The group met subsequently for lunch at least on one occasion and for after work libations at least two or three times in downtown watering holes. Activities and attendance faltered after those initial trials, probably due to competing activities of busy alums. One alum in attendance that night in November 1985, Chet Buckenmaier, Psi '59, casually mentioned to Ron that Phi Kappa Sigma should look into organizing a colony at nearby George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. Chet mentioned that the university was growing rapidly and had started a fledgling Greek system that year; Phi Kappa Sigma was not represented. Ron took that suggestion under advisement and kidded Chet by saying maybe he should be its inaugural chapter advisor if they ever did colonize at GMU. His response was also in jest, "yea, right - anytime," fully confident the idea would be dropped as soon as the party adjourned. Three years later, Chet Buckenmaier received a phone call from Ron reporting that his staff was on campus at George Mason for the next two weeks recruiting unaffiliated men and coordinating the start up of a Phi Kappa Sigma colony with the Office of the Dean for Student Affairs.

Ron reminded Chet of his promise made three years before. Two weeks later, on April 22, 1988, Chet attended the first ever meeting of the colony. Forty-one men were in attendance that night, mostly sophomores balanced by more than a few freshmen. The colony was extremely fortunate to have William Keech Jr., a recently initiated Phi Kap from Radford University's Chapter, who had transferred to George Mason that semester, to lead this group as its first Alpha. Having been "out of action" so to speak from 1959 to 1986, Chet Buckenmaier, the new Chapter Advisor was both pleased and shocked -- pleased at the enthusiasm of Bill Keech and the group of young men ready to take on "The Challenge", a series of tough projects to show evidence of their collective willingness to work together for the common good of the colony; shocked at the contemporary attire, long hair, laceless basketball shoes or sandals, and grooming, or lack thereof. This was far different than he had been accustomed to in the late fifties at Psi Chapter where most brothers wore coats and ties, or at least wore sweaters and slacks to school. After spending 20 years as an Air Force officer, he marveled at young Daniel Leal, a freshman who had the Greek letters Phi Kappa Sigma shaved into the back of his head. He wondered what he got himself into. The large age disparity between chapter advisor and colony recruits (29 years) was quickly assuaged that first night by the proactive planning of Bill "Keecher" Keech, the newly elected, first Alpha of the colony that would be chartered as the Gamma Xi chapter in 1989. He presented Chet with a Phi Kappa Sigma ball cap, courtesy of the new colony. After the applause died down any residual cultural shock was removed and the colony was "off to the races."