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.