11 Most Exclusive Private Clubs in America

2. Cosmos Club

Location: Washington, DC

Founded in: 1878

It is said that a sure sign of someone’s success in Washington, DC is a membership in Cosmos Club. Considering that past members include four presidents, 12 Supreme Court Justices and more than 30 Nobel Prize winners, we’d have to agree with that. It has played an integral part in the country’s history, with National Geographic and Wilderness Society both founded on its premises. Unfortunately, like with the most clubs on our list, the misogyny is strong behind its walls and it took a threat of closure in 1988 to force the Cosmos Club to open its admission process to women. Notable members include Joseph Quincy Adams, Jr., Rudyard Kipling, Henry Kissinger, Robert McNamara and many others.