| Mace and Chain | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 1956 Yale University |
| Type | Senior society |
| Affiliation | Independent |
| Status | Active |
| Scope | Local |
| Chapters | 1 |
| Members | 300+ lifetime |
| Nickname | M&C, Knights, Knights Trust |
| Headquarters | Trumbull Street New Haven, Connecticut United States |
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Mace and Chain is a senior secret society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1956, it is the youngest of the "Ancient Eight", the college's most selective senior societies. Mace and Chain has a meeting place or "tomb" on Trumbull Street.
History
[edit]Yale University junior Thornton Marshall founded Mace and Chain in 1956 after he failed to receive an invitation to join a secret student society.[1][2][3][4] Yale professor Robert Penn Warren gave Marshall advice on structuring the society as "something which is a little closer to reality and that can exist in the sunlight".[1][2] Thus, Marshall's goal was to create a senior society that would more representative of the campus community.[3]
Marshall recruited six friends to join his new society.[1] The group met in an apartment on Wall Street and rotated the society's leadership every week.[1] Mace and Chain went inactive in the 1960s when it lost its apartment lease, reportedly due to a lack of money.[1][3][5]
Mace and Chain reformed, then went dormant again in 1970.[6] In 1993, Mace and Chain was revived by alumni members Tom Haines and William "Biff" Folberth.[1][2][7] The first class of the reformed society included five male and five female seniors.[1] Although sometimes called as a secret society, the reformed Mace and Chain's membership is listed annually in campus publications.[8][9] The society operates with “very dynamic bylaws,” allowing each delegation flexibility in shaping internal structures and practices.[3]
One of many secret societies at Yale[10], Mace and Chain is the youngest of the “ancient eight” said to be the most selective senior societies[11][12] along with Berzelius Society, Book and Snake, Elihu Club, St. Elmo’s Society, Scroll and Key, Skull and Bones, and Wolf’s Head Society.[13][1] In 2007, the society had more than 300 alumni.[1]
Symbols
[edit]The Mace and Chain emblem resulted from its founding members' discussions about chivalry.[1] The symbol of Mace and Chain depicts a medieval-style armored gauntlet grasping a spiked mace, rendered in a bold black-and-white outline. The emblem features stylized details, including pointed spikes on the mace head and ornamental patterns on the arm.
Tomb
[edit]Mace and Chain is dubbed a "landed" society because it owns its meeting place, or "tomb".[14][15][16][17] When it was reestablished in 1993, the society initially occupied a condominium provided by alumni.[1][18] In 2001, the alumni gave the society an historic house on Trumbull Street in downtown New Haven.[1][5][15] As of 2025, the exact address of the Mace and Chain tomb has not been publicly disclosed.[19] However, the tomb is a late Colonial and early-Victorian style house that was in built in 1823 with salvaged moldings from Benedict Arnold's home.[20]
Knights Trust Inc.
[edit]Knights Trust Inc is the business name of Mace and Chain. The organization is incorporated in Connecticut and is recognized by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service as a nonprofit entity exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3), with tax-exempt status granted in 1996. Knights Trust Inc functions as the legal and financial entity that holds and administers the assets associated with Mace and Chain, including managing investments and overseeing financial stewardship on behalf of the organization.[21] The nonprofit currently owns 50 Trumbull Street, New Haven.[22]
According to publicly available IRS Form 990 filings, Knights Trust Inc reported total assets of about $1.05 million in its fiscal year ending June 2025, with no liabilities reported. In the fiscal year ending June 2024, the organization reported assets of about $997,000, again with no liabilities. These filings indicate that Knights Trust Inc maintains a modest annual operating budget funded primarily through contributions and investment income, while preserving a substantial base of long-term assets relative to its expenditures.[21]
Membership
[edit]Mace and Chain selects about 15 rising seniors each spring through Yale’s traditional tap night process.[15][23][24][25] The society was one of the earliest to adopt coeducational membership after its revival in 1993, with its first delegation including five men and five women.[1][5] Its members are chosen to reflect a wide range of interests and backgrounds.[3] Alumni of Mace and Chain sustain long-term engagement with the society by organizing events and providing resources to current members, such as annual Christmas dinners at the Yale Club of New York, theater tickets, and catered gourmet meals for special occasions[3].
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Notable members
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| Name | Yale class | Notability | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenny Agostino | 2014 | Professional ice hockey player and member of the 2022 U.S. Olympic team. | [26] |
| John Ripin Miller | 1964 | U.S. Congressman (1985–1993); led federal anti-human trafficking efforts as Ambassador-at-Large. | [27] |
| Ifeoma Ozoma | 2015 | Tech policy expert and whistleblower advocate; key architect of California’s Silenced No More Act. | [28] |
| Tatiana Schlossberg | 2012 | Environmental journalist and author of Inconspicuous Consumption; granddaughter of President John F. Kennedy. | [8] |
| David Shimer | 2018 | Author and foreign policy analyst who served on the United States National Security Council during the Biden administration | [29] |
| Emma Allen | 2010 | Youngest and first female cartoon editor for The New Yorker. | [30] |
| Dan Katz | 2010 | First deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund and chief of staff to the United States secretary of the treasury | [30] |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Ron, Schachter (July 2007). "Light & Verity: The Youngest Secret Society". Yale Alumni Magazine. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
- ^ a b c Garza, Joe (2023-05-06). "Yale Has More Secret Societies Than You Realize. Here's The History". Grunge. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
- ^ a b c d e f Schenkel, Ben (March 30, 2012). "Tapping in to Yale's secret societies". UWire. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
- ^ AdmissionSight (2024-09-05). "Yale's Hidden World: How Many Secret Societies Exist?". AdmissionSight. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
- ^ a b c Heinrichs, Susanne; Müller, Alysha (2025-02-18). "The Secret Societies of Yale". American Matters. Retrieved 2025-08-05.
- ^ Richards, David Alan (2017-09-05). Skulls and Keys: The Hidden History of Yale's Secret Societies. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-68177-581-4.
- ^ Shachi, Sohara Mehroze (2009-12-01). "Alumni seek to revive senior society". Yale Daily News. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
- ^ a b "Secret Societies". Rumpus. Yale University: 5. May 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2025 – via issuu.
- ^ "List: 41 secret societies at Yale". yalealumnimagazine.org. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
- ^ "Are you Yale secret society material?". www.yalealumnimagazine.com. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
- ^ Pohly, Kaitlyn (2024-02-28). "Behind tomb doors: Yale's society tap process". Yale Daily News. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
- ^ Battey, Kanya Balakrishna, Allison (2006-04-06). "Societies find their secret niche". Yale Daily News. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Tap secrets of Yale societies". Yale Daily News. 2002-04-12. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
- ^ "Yale's secret social fabric". Yale Daily News. 2008-12-05. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
- ^ a b c Sur, Snigdha (May 27, 2009). "So secret I can't talk about it". Yale Daily News. p. C11. Retrieved August 4, 2025 – via Yale Daily News Historical Archive.
- ^ "Alex Stern". TV Tropes. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
- ^ "Client Challenge". www.scribd.com. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
- ^ News, The Yale Daily (2002-06-30). "Secret societies: tombs and tradition". Yale Daily News. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "The Secret Societies of Yale". American Matters. 2025-02-18. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ^ "Yale | History". Plexuss. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
- ^ a b Roberts, Andrea Suozzo, Alec Glassford, Ash Ngu, Brandon (2013-05-09). "Knights Trust Inc - Nonprofit Explorer". ProPublica. Retrieved 2026-01-02.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "50 TRUMBULL ST".
- ^ "The Yale Daily News 1 April 2013 — Yale Daily News Historical Archive". ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
- ^ "The Yale Daily News 28 March 2016 — Yale Daily News Historical Archive". ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
- ^ Luchsinger, Anna. "The Comprehensive College Guide to Secret Societies". Hi's Eye. Retrieved 2026-01-03.
- ^ Javed, Imran (2017-01-07). "Ice, Ice, Ivy - Chicago Wolves Forward Kenny Agostino". Chicago Wolves. Retrieved 2025-08-06.
- ^ "Bridgeport Post Newspaper Archives, Oct 1, 1967, p. 26". NewspaperArchive.com. 1967-10-01. Retrieved 2025-08-06.
- ^ "Secret Societies 2015". Rumpus. June 2015. Retrieved 2025-08-07 – via Scribd.
- ^ "The Society Issue 2018 | PDF". Scribd. Retrieved 2025-08-04.
- ^ a b "WEB EXCLUSIVE: Every Yale Secret Society, 2009-2010 (or, A Tribute to Rumpus) > chloe gordon, drunk senior girls, frenemies, fun, investigative journalism, making nice, Rumpus, Secret Societies, told you we would, Yale | IvyGate". www.ivygateblog.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-20. Retrieved 2026-01-03.