Aztec Club of 1847 facts for kids
The Aztec Club of 1847 is a special group started in 1847 by United States Army officers who fought in the Mexican–American War. Today, it's a hereditary organization. This means that members can join if they are direct descendants of the original officers who were eligible to be part of the club.
The Aztec Club was similar to the Society of the Cincinnati, which was formed by officers after the American Revolutionary War. It also came before other groups for veterans, like the Grand Army of the Republic and the United Confederate Veterans, which were created after the American Civil War.
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Starting the Club: Why and How?
After the main battles of the Mexican–American War ended, many U.S. Army troops stayed in Mexico City. On October 13, 1847, some officers met to create a social club. They wanted a comfortable way to spend their time until they could go back home to the United States.
The officers who first organized the club were Robert C. Buchanan, Henry Coppée, John B. Grayson, John B. Magruder, Franklin Pierce, Charles F. Smith, and Charles P. Stone.
First President and Members
That same evening, John A. Quitman was chosen as the Aztec Club's first president. By the time the army left Mexico City, the club had 160 members. Many important figures from the Mexican War were members. Some of them would become famous later, during the American Civil War.
Membership was open to all officers who had served in the campaign starting from Veracruz. Being a member was seen as very prestigious, both in Mexico and back in the United States. The founders wanted the Aztec Club to be like the Society of the Cincinnati, which was created in 1783 by officers from the Revolutionary War. In fact, many Aztec Club members were sons or grandsons of those original Cincinnati members.
The Club House in Mexico City
The club chose a grand building for its clubhouse. It was the former home of José María Bocanegra, who had been the Mexican minister to the United States. This 18th-century palace was originally built for a Viceroy of New Spain. It was located near the Plaza de la Constitución, also known as the Zócalo, in the conquered city.
On January 13, 1848, the club officially adopted its rules, called a constitution. There was a $20 fee to join. The commanding general of the army, Winfield Scott, was made an honorary member.
General Scott wanted to reward his officers. So, he used military funds to hire local workers to fix up the old building. This turned it into the Aztec Club. Only officers who had served with him from Veracruz all the way to Mexico City could join this private club.
The Aztec Club was a huge success with the officers. It gave them a place to escape the difficult conditions of the city. They could enjoy nice meals and fine drinks. Sometimes, local performers would entertain them.
George B. McClellan wrote, "We have a magnificent club house, and it is a source of great pleasure and comfort to us." He added, "We go there and are sure that we will meet none but gentlemen." The Aztec Club quickly became the most popular place in the city. More officers joined, including William T. Sherman, George C. Meade, and Simon Bolivar Buckner.
". . .The Club was organized for the purpose of forming a resort for officers, as a promoter of good fellowship, and of furnishing a home where they could pass their leisure hours in social intercourse, and where more palatable and healthful viands could be procured at a reduced price than at the best Fandas of the city."
The club held fancy dinners. Almost every important person who visited Mexico during the occupation stayed at the club. It became so popular that it was hard to get in once it was fully running. The building was on a street leading off Calle Plateros, just two blocks from the Grand Plaza. This was a very convenient spot, not far from General Scott's headquarters.
Calle Plateros, or Silversmith Street (now part of Avenida Madero), was one of the most important streets in the city. It was like New York City's Broadway at the time. It had more nice shops than any other street in Mexico. It was a popular place for people to walk and drive, and for fashionable young men to meet their friends. Many main hotels and restaurants were also on this street.
The club often held lively meetings at the National Theater. Captain John B. Magruder often led these events before the officers left Mexico City in the summer of 1848.
By March, the Aztec Club's constitution was printed. It also included a list of the original members. These were all officers serving in the U.S. Army or Navy. Officers from state militia groups could not join. The first constitution said the club's goal was to give members a place to live, eat, and entertain guests together. This allowed members to share resources while in Mexico City.
When it became clear the army would soon leave, members met on May 26, 1848. They wanted to decide the club's future. It wasn't practical to keep the physical club open after they left. However, the members decided to create a lasting organization. They elected new officers to serve until September 14, 1852. They planned a reunion at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, by that date.
When they returned to the United States, they created a membership diploma and a special seal. Persifor Frazer Smith was elected as the new club president, replacing Quitman, who had already gone back to Washington, D.C.. Grayson was chosen as "substitute president" and "acting treasurer." In June, the club, with 160 regular and three honorary members, officially closed its temporary operations.
Five members of the club later became candidates for President of the United States: Franklin Pierce, Ulysses S. Grant, Winfield Scott, George B. McClellan, and Winfield Scott Hancock. Two of them were actually elected president. Two members were candidates for Vice President: John A. Logan and Simon Bolivar Buckner. Many others became Congressmen or high-ranking military and government officials.
The Club After the War
After the Mexican-American War, the club members were spread out across the country. In 1852, some members met at the United States Military Academy at West Point. On their behalf, Fitz John Porter wrote a letter suggesting new officers. Benjamin Huger was proposed as the new Club president. In November 1852, Franklin Pierce was elected President of the United States. He was the first of two Aztec Club members to become president.
Some people think Zachary Taylor was a member, but his name is not on the list of the club's 160 original members. This is because the first members were officers serving in Mexico City, and Taylor served in northeastern Mexico. The club didn't expand its membership beyond the original 160 until 1871, which was 21 years after Taylor had passed away.
During the mid-1850s, members held reunions in different places. But because members were so spread out due to military service, the club didn't meet as a whole group. Members often led reunions for Mexican-American War veterans. John Quitman attended many such gatherings and hosted former comrades at his Monmouth plantation in Natchez, Mississippi.
Since the club's first rules seemed not enough for a lasting group, Quitman called a meeting. It was held at Delmonico's in New York City on September 14, 1855. This was the eighth anniversary of the club's dedication. The goal was to form a new "Montezuma Society." Its purpose was to "...renew and grow the friendships and understanding that naturally exist between men who have served together in War." Matthew C. Perry, who had recently returned from his trip to Japan, was elected president of this new society. By 1859, both Perry and Quitman had passed away, and with them, the Montezuma Society ended.
A Club for Generations: Hereditary Society
On September 14, 1867, the Aztec Club held a meeting at Astor House in New York City. Robert Patterson, an original member and the last president of the Montezuma Society, was chosen to lead the meeting. Peter V. Hagner became treasurer, and George Sykes served as acting secretary. At this meeting, they set up practices that would make the organization last.
They elected officers and decided to have an annual meeting. They also printed a list of members and ordered special badges to be given to members and the families of the 65 members who had passed away. They also decided that members would elect the club's vice-president, who would become president if the current president died or retired. Patterson remained president of the Club from 1867 to 1881.
In November 1868, 21 years after the fighting stopped in Mexico City, Ulysses S. Grant, an original member of the Aztec Club, was elected President of the United States. He was the second member to achieve this. Many of the club's annual meetings were held at Patterson's home in Philadelphia. But in 1874, President Grant offered to host the meeting at the White House. Patterson's mansion was later bought by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
At the annual meeting held at Hotel Bellevue in Philadelphia on September 14, 1881, Ulysses S. Grant was elected Vice President of the Aztec Club. He announced his plan to become its president.
After the American Civil War, members of the Aztec Club held important meetings for its survival. These meetings led to the club changing from just a military society to a hereditary society, which still exists today. Under Robert Patterson's leadership, the club successfully changed. They made small changes to who could join. First, they allowed people who served in the war in any area (1871). Then, they allowed successor members (1875). Soon after Patterson's death, they allowed sons of officers who were injured or killed in the Mexican War (1881). These changes created the basis for hereditary membership. The Aztec Club went from a group of military friends to an organization that first included sons of eligible officers who had passed away, and eventually became a group of direct descendants.
The Aztec Club's historical records are kept at the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center. This center is located at the United States Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
In 1890, the U.S. Congress passed a law. It allowed members of the Aztec Club and other military societies to wear their club's badges. This applied to officers and enlisted soldiers of the Army and Navy who were members "in their own right." These societies were founded by men who served in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Civil War.
Reunions and meetings of the Aztec Club of 1847 have been held every year since 1867. Today, the club has about 425 members. Its main goal is to preserve and share the history of the Mexican–American War.
To celebrate its 150th anniversary, on October 7, 1997, members of the Aztec Club gathered in Mexico City. They began a ten-day trip, mostly following the path that Winfield Scott and his armies took two years to travel. The year before, when Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo learned about the trip, he officially invited the Aztec Club to visit Chapultepec. He also promised to attend a formal dinner with the members.
The Aztec Club of 1847 is still active today. It is maintained by the descendants of the original members. In 2008, the Aztec Club of 1847 applied to protect its badge and name with a trademark. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted this in 2010. The Aztec Club of 1847 is an approved organization listed by The Hereditary Society Community of the United States of America.
Images for kids
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Members of the Aztec Club with guests at an anniversary dinner in Philadelphia, 1873.
