“Whatever Rotary may mean to us, to the world it will be known by the results it achieves.
Rotary International
Rotary started with the vision of one person — Paul Harris. The Chicago attorney formed the Rotary Club of Chicago on 23 February 1905, so professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas and form meaningful, lifelong friendships. Rotary’s name came from the group’s early practice of rotating meetings among the offices of its members.
Over time, Rotary’s reach and vision gradually extended to humanitarian service. Members have a long track record of addressing challenges in their communities and around the world. Now, more than 115 years later, Rotary members continue to address challenges around the world. Grassroots at the core, Rotary links 1.4 million members to form an organization of international scope.
From “Rotary,” a publication of the University of Chicago, in 1934:
Paul P. Harris occupies an almost unique position among leaders of men, in that the movement which he initiated in the city of Chicago in 1905 has, within his own life-time, become a world-wide force of impressive scope and power. The seeds of the Rotary idea germinated in the mind of Paul Harris for several years before he took any action looking toward the establishment of an organization.
The first four Rotarians (from left): Gustavus Loehr, Silvester Schiele, Hiram E. Shorey, Paul P. Harris.
In looking back on these years, he has declared that “he conceived of a group of businessmen banded together socially; then he thought there would be an especial advantage in each member's having exclusive representation of this particular trade of profession. The members would be mutually helpful. He resolved to organize such a club.”
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