These 11 most exclusive private clubs in America are some of the favorite meeting places and drinking holes for the America’s (and world’s, as well) rich and famous. For the most part, these are urban clubs, designed for the city gentlemen to take a break from the often hectic lifestyle they lead on their jobs. Some of them, however, are placed outside city limits and represent a perfect getaway for when you’re tired from the urban jungle and need to relax in nature.
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As you’ve probably guessed it, writers at Insider Monkey don’t earn enough to even consider becoming members in these elite private clubs. So, in order to create this list, we had to rely on Internet sources. The original idea envisioned a hefty expense account and few months of traveling, making sure to experience each of the clubs on the list, but powers-that-be declined it. A perfectly reasonable request, if you ask me, but we had to make do without it.
We curated two lists of most exclusive private clubs in America, one at Dujour and the other at Complex. Bonus points were awarded to the clubs that also appeared on the lost of most elite private clubs in the world at Fortune and Business Insider. We excluded all the clubs with a golf course since we covered them in our list of most elite country clubs in the world. Here are the final standings of most exclusive private clubs in America.
11. Jonathan Club
Location: Los Angeles, Santa Monica
Founded in: 1895
The origin of the Jonathan Club is a bit unclear, even the etymology of the name has two versions. According to one, it was named after Jonathan Trumbull, one of the George Washington’s advisors. The second version claims that it was named after a cartoon character Brother Jonathan, an early version of Uncle Sam from the 19th century. With two locations, it offers its members a luxury experience they are accustomed to. Its beach clubhouse in Santa Monica is something most other clubs on our list don’t have and it’s one of the Jonathan Club’s main selling points. To its credit, it was the first of Los Angeles private clubs to start admitting women and African-Americans in its ranks. It only happened in the late 1980s, but hey, better late than never.Notable members: Ronald Reagan, Henry Edwards Huntington, and Robert S. MacAlister.
10. The Knickerbocker Club
Location: New York
Founded in: 1871
The Knickerbocker Club was founded by dissatisfied members of the Union Club who felt that the Union went to the dogs and that their admission standards were too low. This tells you a thing about the Knicks founders when the admission process for one of the most ultra-conservative clubs in the country is simply subpar for them. Although two clubs reconciled their differences later and there was even talk of the merger back in the 1950s, in the end they remained separate entities with distinctive club policies. Among few things they share is the exclusivity and pickiness when it comes to admitting new members. Notable members include J.P. Morgan, David Rockefeller, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
9. The Algonquin Club
Location: Boston
Founded in: 1886
What started as the men’s business club is now one of the most diverse clubs on our list. In lines with mondialism as the official club’s policy, Algonquin Club currently has reciprocal arrangements with more than 100 clubs around the world and is considered as one of the best connected private clubs in the world. Its 130-anniversary celebration in April 2016 was the highlight of the city’s season.
8. Bohemian Club
Location: San Francisco
Founded in: 1872
Unlike most clubs on our list, the Bohemian Club isn’t a place of business. In fact, it is highly frowned upon, in line with the club motto “Weaving spiders come not here”. Dedicated to the pleasure of its members, the club has two location. The main clubhouse is located in downtown San Francisco, offering an urban retreat. It also has another clubhouse, called Bohemian Grove in Sonora County, where members gather once a year for a two-week retreat and forget all their worries of everyday life. We’ll leave it up to readers’ imagination to envision the shenanigans some of the world’s wealthiest people come up with during a two-week long camp in a secluded location. Notable members include George H. W. Bush, William Randolph Hearst, Herbert Hoover, Ambrose Bierce, Henry Kissinger and many others.
7. The Somerset Club
Location: Boston
Founded in: 1826
In the 1940s, a fire broke out in the kitchen of the Somerset Club. It was in the middle of a dinner for members and their guests. So, the club’s president did the only reasonable thing. He led the firemen through the service entrance in the back so that esteemed gentlemen wouldn’t be disturbed by such base and trivial concerns as a fire on the premises. Those in the know claim that the club attitude hasn’t changed since.
6. The Duquesne Club
Location: Pittsburg
Founded in: 1873
Pittsburg doesn’t come to mind as a location for one of the most exclusive private clubs in America, but the Duquesne Club certainly deserves a spot on our list. Founded in 1873, the club has since grown to one of the best retreats for corporate elite in the United States. The unparalleled luxury it offers to its members has ensured that the club has been voted the best city club in America several times and is constantly in top three.
5. The University Club of Washington DC
Location: Washington, DC
Founded in: 1904
Located about half a mile north of the White House, the University Club of Washington DC is one of the most exclusive private clubs in the nation’s capital. Much of its fame is owed to its first president, William Howard Taft, a man behind the club’s motto: “Enter all of ye who have a degree of good fellowship and learning.” Like other university clubs in the country, you have to own a university-level degree in any field before you are even considered for a membership. Since 2000, the club gives the Tewaaraton Award to the best male and female college lacrosse players, honoring the tradition of Native Americans who invented the sport. Notable members include William Howard Taft, Tip O’Neill, Richard Nixon, Earl Warren, and Hugo Black.
4. Union League of Philadelphia
Location: Philadelphia
Founded in: 1862
Old Philadelphians are the equivalent of the Boston Brahmins of New York Knickerbockers, the wealthy elite of the city tracing its origin back to the first settlers that sailed across the Atlantic. It was them who founded Union League of Philadelphia in 1862, in an effort to support President Abraham Lincoln. It is the center of all major political and business dealing in Philadelphia, especially those concerning old money and old boys. Union League currently holds the first place on the Five Star Platinum Club list, based on amenities it offers to its members. Ever since its origins, one of the main pillars of its policies was the strong support for the US armed forces, depicted by two statues in front of its building. It is one of the rare private clubs that allows public access and tours throughout its facilities.
Union League of Philadelphia Celebrates the 63rd Birthday of the USAF
3. The California Club
Location: Los Angeles
Founded in: 1888
The old saying goes: “The people who run Los Angeles belong to the Jonathan Club. The people who own Los Angeles belong to the California Club.” This alone would secure a place for California Club on our list, but it doesn’t end there. From a humble start above the local stables, California Club has grown into one of the most iconic powerhouses in California. Its members are the movers and shakers of not only Los Angeles but the entire Golden State. California Club clubhouse, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a home to a very valuable art collection, gathered throughout club’s history.
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.
1. The Union Club
Location: New York
Founded in: 1836
One of the oldest private clubs in the United States, the Union Club changed several locations before finally settling on its current one. All of them were on Fifth Avenue, although it is unknown whether this is by design or by coincidence. Although the club changed buildings, its strong conservative values remained unwavering throughout its history. One of the most controversial decisions in the club’s history is the one refusing to expel Confederate members after the beginning of the Civil War. This led to a strife among the membership and some of them went on to form other clubs, like Knickerbocker Club. The Union Club managed to recover from this setback and is currently considered the most exclusive private club in America. Notable members include Winston Churchill, Ulysses S. Grant, William Randolph Hearst, Winthrop Rockefeller, Philip H. Sheridan, William Tecumseh Sherman, Cornelius Vanderbilt and many others.
