| Alibi Club | |
| Location: | 1806 I Street, NW Washington, D.C. |
| Coordinates: | 38.9012°N -77.0421°W |
| Built: | 1869 |
| Architecture: | Italianate |
| Added: | October 21, 1994[1] |
| Refnum: | 94001221 |
| Designated Other1: | DCIHS |
| Designated Other1 Abbr: | DCIHS |
| Designated Other1 Date: | June 17, 1992 |
The Alibi Club is a traditional gentlemen's private club in Washington, D.C. Its members consist of the Washington elite, including presidents, senators,[2] and diplomats,[1] among other prominent figures.
In 1884, seven Washingtonians founded the Alibi Club, a private social club of prominent political and social figures. Its name derived from the club practice of providing an alibi when the member's family questioned the whereabouts of a member. The club's founding purpose was to foster "mutual improvement, education, and enlightenment" among members of Washington society. Membership also extended to out-of-town figures from New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia, most likely to share information between communities and help in the development of strategies to address civic issues. Throughout its history, it has hosted numerous world leaders, including King Leopold of Belgium, Prince Albert of Belgium, Prince Henry of Prussia, and Viceroy Li Hongzhang.[1]
The first clubhouse was situated at 17th and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. Since 1886, the club has occupied a three-story, brick townhouse blocks away from the White House. The clubhouse is furnished with donated memorabilia and artifacts covering nearly every available wall section on the first two floors. The clubhouse is also notable as a well-preserved example of residential architecture in a commercial district and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 21, 1994.[1] In 2018, the building was listed as a vacant property.[3]
Membership is limited to fifty, with new members admitted upon unanimous vote after the death of a previous member. Membership is not revealed to outsiders, and the first public notice of membership is often in a member's obituary.[2]
Some of the Alibi Club's most prominent members have included: President George H. W. Bush,[4] his father, Senator Prescott Bush, Supreme Court Justices Potter Stewart and Stanley F. Reed, Allen Dulles and John Foster Dulles, Speaker of the House Nicholas Longworth, and General George C. Marshall.[1]