| Letters: | Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΚΦΛ |
| Kappa Phi Lambda | |
| Crest: | Kappa Phi Lambda shield.jpg |
| Founded: | |
| Birthplace: | Jefferson College |
| Affiliation: | Independent |
| Status: | Defunct |
| Defunct Date: | 1948 |
| Successor: | Scattered |
| Type: | Social |
| Scope: | National |
| Motto: | Latin: Mentes Multæ Consilium Unum ("Many Minds Conspire One") |
| Symbol: | A Balance; a Sunburst; a Mountain |
| Publication: | The Palladium |
| Chapters: | 10 |
| City: | Canonsburg |
| State: | Pennsylvania |
| Country: | United States |
Kappa Phi Lambda (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΚΦΛ) was an American collegiate fraternity. It was established in 1862 at Jefferson College and was dissolved in 1874. Kappa Phi Lambda is considered one of the members of the "Jefferson Triad" of fraternities founded at Jefferson College, with the other two being Phi Gamma Delta and Phi Kappa Psi.[1] However, with the demise of Kappa Phi Lambda, the remaining two fraternities are known as the Jefferson Duo.
Kappa Phi Lambda was established as a local fraternity in 1869.at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania (now Washington & Jefferson College).[2] [3] Its founder was Jacob Janeway Belville.[4]
On August 3, 1862, it was incorporated as a national fraternity and added a chapter at Mount Union College. Other chapters were formed at University of Michigan, Monmouth College, Northwestern University, Moore's Hill, Ohio Wesleyan University, University of Virginia, Denison University, Westminster College (Pennsylvania), Western University of Pennsylvania.
A national Kappa Phi Lambda convention was held in Philadelphia in 1867. Following that convention, the Denison University chapter became disenchanted with the authoritarianism of the national leadership and joined the Beta Theta Pi.
Following dissolution in 1874, the Mount Union College chapter joined Delta Tau Delta, the University of Michigan chapter joined Psi Upsilon, and the Northwestern University chapter joined Sigma Chi.
The last known chapter of Kappa Phi Lambda was at Westminster College (Pennsylvania). It operated sub-rosa until 1920 and petitioned Phi Gamma Delta. In 1948, it became the Epsilon Pi chapter of Sigma Nu.[5]
The fraternity's official badge consisted of a shield, with a balance, a sunburst, a mountain, and a pennant bearing the fraternity's letters. Its motto was "Mentes Multae Consilim Unum" or "Many Minds Conspire One". Its publication was The Palladium.
These are the known chapters of Kappa Phi Lambda Fraternity. Chapter names are conjectural, from the order in Baird's Manual. The fraternity is dormant, while some chapters lived on as part of other fraternities.
| Chapter | Charter date and range | Institution | City | State | Status | References | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha | 1859– | Jefferson College | Cannonsburg | Pennsylvania | Inactive | ||
| Beta ? | – | Mount Union College | Alliance | Ohio | Merged (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΔΤΔ) | ||
| Gamma ? | – | University of Michigan | Ann Arbor | Michigan | Dispersed (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΨΥ, others) | ||
| Delta ? | 186x ? – 187x ? | Monmouth College | Monmouth | Illinois | Inactive | ||
| Epsilon ? | – | Northwestern University | Evanston | Illinois | Merged (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΣΧ) | ||
| Zeta ? | 186x ?–18xx ? | Moores Hill Collegiate Institute | Indiana | Inactive | |||
| Eta ? | –187x ? | Ohio Wesleyan University | Delaware | Ohio | Inactive | ||
| Theta ? | – | University of Virginia | Charlottesville | Virginia | Inactive | ||
| Iota ? | – | Denison University | Granville | Ohio | Merged (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΒΘΠ) | ||
| Kappa ? | –1948 | Westminster College | New Wilmington | Pennsylvania | Merged (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ΣΝ) | . |
Notable alumni include Robert M. Nevin, a Congressman from Ohio.