The History of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
The History of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
The founders of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. were no ordinary achievers. Given racial
attitudes in 1906, their accomplishments were monumental. As founder Henry Arthur Callis
euphemistically stated—because the half-dozen African American students at Cornell University
during the school year 1904-05 did not return to campus the following year, the incoming students
in 1905-06, in founding Alpha Phi Alpha, were determined to bind themselves together to ensure
that each would survive in the racially hostile environment. In coming together with this simple act,
they preceded by decades the emergence of such on-campus programs as affirmative action, upward
bound and remedial assistance. The students set outstanding examples of scholarship, leadership
and success—preceding the efforts even of the NAACP and similar civil rights organizations.
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Henry Arthur Callis became a practicing physician, Howard University Professor of Medicine and prolific
contributor to medical journals. Often regarded as the “philosopher of the founders,” and a moving force in
the Fraternity’s development, he was the only one of the “Cornell Seven” to become General President.
Prior to moving to Washington, D.C., he was a medical consultant to the Veterans Hospital in Tuskegee,
Alabama.
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Charles Henry Chapman entered higher education and eventually became Professor of Agriculture at what
is now Florida A&M University. Described as “a Brother beloved in the bonds,”
Chapman was a founder of FAMU’s Beta Nu Chapter.
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Eugene Kinckle Jones became the first Executive Secretary of the National Urban League. His 20-year tenure
with the Urban League thus far has exceeded those of all his successors in office. His efforts with the National Urban League paved the way for many African-American organizations such as the NAACP and many more. He died in 1954.
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George Biddle Kelley became the first African American engineer registered in the state of New York. Not
only was he the strongest proponent of the Fraternity idea among the organization’s founders, the civil
engineering student also became Alpha Chapter’s first President. He died in 1963.
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Nathaniel Allison Murray pursued graduate work after completing his undergraduate studies at Cornell. He
later returned home to Washington, D.C., where he taught in public schools. Much of his career was spent
at Armstrong Vocational High School in the District of Columbia. He died in 1959.
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Robert Harold Ogle entered the career secretarial field and had the unique privilege of serving as a professional
member to the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations. He was an African American pioneer in
his Capitol Hill position. He was Alpha Chapter’s first secretary.He died in 1936.
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Vertner Woodson Tandy became the state of New York’s first registered architect, with offices on Broadway in New
York City. He holds the distinction of being the first African American to pass the military
commissioning examination and was commissioned First Lieutenant in the 15th Infantry of the New York State National
Guard. He was Alpha Chapter’s first treasurer. Among the buildings designed by the highly talented architect is Saint Phillips Episcopal Church in New York City. He died in 1949, at age 64.
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