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HISTORY OF ROTARY INTERNATIONAL DISTRICT 6450
Since the birth of Rotary occurred in Chicago,
Illinois U.S.A. when the Rotary Club of Chicago was organized in
1905, and ROTARY/One is now a member club of District
6450 it is deemed appropriate to track the district from that
beginning.
The first meeting of four men to discuss Founder Paul
Percy Harris’s idea to organize a club for business and professional
men to become better acquainted, was held in room 711 of the Unity
Building at 127 North Dearborn Street in Chicago, the office of
Gustavus H. Loehr a mining engineer, on 23 February, 1905. The
other three attendees were: founder attorney Paul Harris, first
president Silvester Schiele a coal dealer, and Hiram E. Shorey a
merchant tailor. The second meeting was held in Paul Harris’s law
office in the Wolff Building with a fifth person attending, Harry
Ruggles a real estate broker and the third meeting was hosted by
Silvester Schiele at his coal-yard office on 23 March 1905 with 15
men attending. By October 1905 the Rotary club had expanded to 30
members.
Though the club didn’t officially develop into a
“Serving others” organization until 1907, prior to then member Dr.
Clark Wilder Hawley an eye and ear specialist who commuted to his
Chicago office from the southwest suburban community of La Grange,
collected $150.00 at a meeting to purchase a horse for a needy young
physician whose horse had died to enable him to continue making home
visitations. This was the first
humanitarian undertaking by Rotarians. (more to the right of
this column...) (this generous act appears to be prior to a more
publicized "community project"
described
on 27 October 1907 by Harris)
In 1910 the first convention was held in Chicago
starting on 15 August, and the delegates from the then 16 Rotary
clubs adopted a constitution and bylaws under the direction of
chairman Chesley R. Perry
who was also elected to be the first General Secretary a
position he held for 32 years.
Paul Harris was
elected President of the National Association of Rotary Clubs of
America and served for two years.
At the 1912 convention the clubs were divided into
eight Divisions i.e.: Eastern USA, Southern USA, Western USA,
Pacific USA, Eastern Canada, Western Canada, and the British Isles,
and the officers in each division were called Vice-Presidents.
Rotary club of Joliet, Illinois, a club of 153 members, the
second club in the district and the 78th club of Rotary, was
organized in 1913.
16 Rotary Districts were established in 1915 and
District Governors were selected. Herbert C. Angster, a Chicago
resident, and president of a well supplies company was elected to
serve as the first Governor of District #8 which included
all of the states of Illinois and Indiana.
In the 1918-19 Rotary year it became
District #12.
In the 1922-23 Rotary year it became
District #19.
In the 1923-24 Rotary year it became District #40,
which was that portion north of the northern boundaries of the
counties of Henderson, Warren, Knox, Peoria, Woodford, Livingston,
Ford and Iroquois.
In the 1937-38 Rotary year it became District 147.
which was that portion north of the northern boundaries of the
counties of Rock Island, Henry, Stark, Peoria, Woodford, Livingston,
Ford and Iroquois.
In the 1940-41 Rotary year, effective 1 July, 1940
District 147 became that portion north of the northern
boundaries of the counties of Mercer, Knox, Stark, Peoria, Woodford,
Livingston, Ford, and Iroquois, and Dwight Township in Livingston
County except the townships of Lynn, Andover, Cambridge, Burns,
Kewanee, Oxford, Clover, Weller, Galva, and Wethersfield of Henry
County.
In 1943-44 Rotary year, effective January 1944
District 147 became that portion north of the northern boundary
of the county of Mercer, of the northern boundaries of the townships
of Lynn, Andover, Cambridge, Burns, and Kewanee of the county of
Henry, and of the northern boundaries of the counties of Stark,
Peoria, Woodford, Livingston, Ford, and Iroquois, and including the
township of Dwight in the county of Livingston.
In the 1949-50 Rotary year it became District #213
which was that portion north of the northern boundaries of the
counties of Mercer, Stark, Peoria, Woodford, Livingston, Ford, and
Iroquois, and the northern boundaries of the townships of Lynn,
Andover, Cambridge, Burns, and Kewanee in Henry County and Dwight
Township in Livingston County.
In the 1952-53 Rotary year it became District #214
which was that portion east of the western boundaries of the
counties of McHenry (excluding Chemung Township), Kane, Kendall
(excluding Little Rock Township), and Grundy; and north of the
northern boundaries of the counties of Livingston (including Dwight
Township), Ford and Iroquois. (Previously part of District #213)
In the 1957-58 Rotary year it became
District 644.
In the1970-71 Rotary year effective 1 July 1970
District 644 consisted of that portion of Illinois east of the
western boundaries of the counties of McHenry (excluding Chemung,
Dunham, Marengo, and Riley Townships), Kane, Kendall (excluding
Little Rock Township), and Grundy, and north of the northern
boundaries of the counties of Livingston (including Dwight
Township), Ford and Iroquois.
In the 1973-74 Rotary year effective 1 July 1973 it
became District 645 which consisted of that portion of
Illinois south of the southern boundaries of the townships of
Kaneville, Blackberry, and Geneva in Kane County; south of the
southern boundaries of the townships of Winfield, Milton and York
(including the towns of Downers Grove, Oak Brook and Elmhurst, and
the township of Addison) in DuPage County; south of the southern
boundaries of the townships of Maine, Niles and Evanston in Cook
County; east of the western boundaries of the counties of Kendall
(excluding the township of Little Rock) and Grundy; and north of
the northern boundaries of the counties of Livingston (including
Dwight Township), Ford and Iroquois.
In the 1991-92 Rotary year effective 1 July 1991 it
became District 6450.
The existing clubs during the 2005-06 Rotary year:
Addison. Aurora, Aurora-Naperville, Aurora Sunrise,
Bensenville, Berwyn, Blue Island-Crestwood Bolingbrook,
Bradley-Bourbonnais, Broadview, Brookfield-Riverside,
Channahon-Minooka, Chicago, Chicago Financial District, Chicago
Heights, Chicago-Lakeview, Chicago-Midwest, Chicago-Near South,
Chicago-Northwest, Chicago-O’Hare, Chicago-Rogers Park,
Chicago-Southwest, Cicero, Countryside, Darien, Downers Grove,
Dwight, Elmhurst, Elmhurst-Morning, Evergreen Park, Franklin Park,
Hinsdale, Hinsdale Oak Brook-Gateway, Homewood, Kankakee, La Grange,
Lansing, Lisle, Lockport, Manteno, Matteson, Maywood, Melrose Park,
Moraine Valley, Morris, Naperville, Naperville Sunrise, New Lenox,
Norridge-Harwood Heights, Oak Brook, Oak Forest, Oak Lawn, Oak
Park-River Forest, Orland Park, Oswego, Park Forest, Plainfield,
Romeoville, Shorewood, Tinley Park-Frankfort, Western Springs,
Westmont, Wilmington, Woodridge.
Submitted by: Dr. Edgar D. (Ted) Gifford, D.D.S.
Past Director Rotary International 1981-1983
I am including herewith a history of our District 6450, and
Rotary history even before districts existed because Rotary
originated in our area.
Counties in the Chicago area are not listed because they are not
on the boarders of the district.. Perhaps those who prepared
this information, which I obtained from Francine Keyes Reference
Archivist of the Rotary International Archives, did not see a
need to include them in a description of the district’s
territory.
The only other thing you might like to include in the history of
our district is the names and years of the three past presidents
of Rotary International from our area, all members of the
Chicago/One Rotary Club when they served i.e.
Paul P. Harris,
1910-1912, George C.
Hager 1938-39, and
Herbert J. Taylor
1954-55.
Sincerely,
Dr. Edgar D. (Ted) Gifford
Past Director Rotary International 1981-1983
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