Started in England around 1748 and established in the
United States on April 26, 1819, the
Independent Order of Odd Fellows is now a worldwide altruistic and benevolent fraternity and sorority dedicated to improving and elevating the character of humankind by imparting the principles of friendship, love, and truth.
Today, the I.O.O.F spread throughout the USA and most of the rest of the world, establishing lodges in:Canada, Australia, Netherlands, Cuba, New Zealand, Austria, Finland,
Dominican Republic, Belgium, Germany, Mexico, Denmark, Iceland, Germany, Puerto Rico, Chile, Czechia, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, and Philippines.
Since 1819, the I.O.O.F has claimed more than 10 million members from all walks of life.
Notable members of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (I.O.O.F) are: Schuyler Colfax, U.S. Vice President (1869 – 1873, Ulysses S. Grant, 18th U.S. President (1869 – 1877), General-in-Chief of the Union’s forces in the
American Civil War,
Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th U.S. President (1877 – 1881), William Jennings Bryan, the “Great Commoner”,
Secretary of State (1913 – 1915), William McKinley, 25th U.S. President (1897 – 1901)
Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd U.S. President (1933 – 1945)
Warren G. Harding, 29th U.S. President (1921 – 1923)
Earl Warren, U.S. Chief Justice (1953 – 1969), Governor of California (1943 – 1953), Head of the Warren Commission, Charlie Chaplin, famous comedian and actor, William Marsh Rice, founder of Rice University and
Jesse James, the "Robin Hood of America", a legendary figure of the wild west.
