The Zodiac Club
The Zodiac Club is a 157-year-old secret society in New York City, made up of 12 members who meet every final Saturday of the month, only between the months of November - May. Now, let’s unpack.
Somewhere in J.P. Morgan’s Madison Ave Library lie two books titled “Records of the Zodiac” where inside, minutes. menus, and 157-year-old secrets are bound in leather. My recent trip to the Museum inspired an obsession, I know -very Scorpio of me- and I’ve yet to shake it.
Upon researching, I found an article by a writer from The Gothamist in 2013, who was able to schedule a rare glimpse into the hidden volumes with William Voelkle, the museum curator, to try and discover what goes on inside.
The curator had the books pulled from the stacks and explained how Morgan was known in the society as "Brother Libra." This explains why the museum mentions that Libra is strategically placed opposite Aries (Morgan’s Sun) not because they are sister Signs, but because Libra is the Zodiac Sign Morgan assumed as a member of New York City’s Zodiac Club.
Still, I wanted to know more about this mysterious club and why it would make someone who had a personal Astrologer and was known for having a strong interest in Astrology paint their ceiling in honor of the title - Libra. So I kept digging.
According to The Gothamist writer, inside the books of The Zodiac Club, it seemed to be an exclusive and secretive dining society in New York City, founded in 1868.
The rules seemed as simple as if they were written: show up, eat a fancy dinner, and discuss society secrets in private. The club consists of twelve elite members, each assigned a Zodiac Sign upon initiation, who take turns hosting and catering to the other affluent members every month.
However, if there’s nothing beyond that, why try so hard to keep the members' identities and the details of their gatherings so secretive? Is it just to contribute to the club’s aura of mystery and exclusivity?
There is truly very little public information about the club despite its longstanding existence, as the members are instructed to take its secrecy seriously. So until I find further information, here’s what we do know:
There are no public records of the club's membership lists, meeting minutes, details, or discussions, and the organization does not seek publicity. This level of secrecy, combined with its association with some of the most powerful individuals in history, has since fueled speculation about the club’s influence and purpose.
Besides this one article made over 10 years ago, and a few others trying to hunt down copies of the club’s books given only to family of the members, they’ve seemed to do a very good job at confidentiality.
According to their documents, these dinners seemed to be an extravagant boys’ club. However, there seem to be a few public books that I’ll be searching for this weekend that mention the society.
A book by Stephen Birmingham published in 1987, America's Secret Aristocracy, claims that J.P. Morgan founded The Zodiac Club in the 1900s. However, Edward Elmer Potter, a native New Yorker born June 21st, 1823, was the true founding father of The Zodiac Club in 1868.
Potter was a Columbia College graduate, known for his very successful Union campaign in North Carolina during the Civil War, known as "Potter's Raid." Even though it seems the club loved to share stories and reaffirm their social standings in Gilded Society, I sadly found no mention/evidence as to why Potter started The Zodiac Club.
Another book, The Age of Innocence, written by Edith Wharton, actually once enraged the members of The Zodiac Club in 1921. They accused her of betraying their social class by disclosing knowledge of their society.
In the second volume, Frank K. Sturgis, former president of the New York Stock Exchange - known as Brother Cancer - was particularly vocal in his disdain for Wharton’s portrayal of New York’s elite in the 1870s. He argued that society during that era was refined, intelligent, and self-respecting, and he criticized Wharton for diminishing the reputation of a world in which her own family had played a prominent role. His remarks were recorded in the minutes, reflecting the indignation felt by the members.
The story continues that after voicing his criticisms of The Age of Innocence, Brother Cancer began to share detailed recollections of the financial and social histories of various New York families. He discussed both the esteemed alliances and the scandalous mésalliances that had shaped the city’s upper class.
But it was there, in that moment of passion and joy, that the men realized although the sharing and documentation of their stories would surely provide a fascinating resource for future generations - to keep with The Zodiac Club’s secret nature - they decided then that much of what they discussed, outside of what should never be written, should also remain unwritten.
Their discussions regarding the unwritten-only-spoken history of the elite families of New York City, their political opinions, and more remain lost to us because of their restraint. In the final edition of both volumes, they scrubbed and scratched any piece of information deemed too candid.
As the years went by, the Signs willfully ignored the Prohibition and utilized the cellars of J.P. Morgan, J.R., who took over his father's sign of Libra. However, after World War I and the recessions that led to the Great Depression, their once lavish menus shrunk considerably. They made constant jokes to each other and chose to document the ones they thought were worth remembering, like how having less food made their waistlines trimmer, etc.
Membership has always been limited to a select group of the societal elite, prominent businessmen, financiers, and other influential figures in various industries - making it one of the most elite private clubs in the city.
In 1903, Morgan was elected to the sign of Libra and catered his first meal at Louis Sherry's private apartments at 5th Avenue and 44th Street. Excited, he decided to celebrate by commissioning original artwork for the menu.
“Sherry was one of the top restaurateurs, catering to the Gilded Age elite at his Stanford White-designed restaurants, and quickly became known for producing ostentatious meals - like a $250 dinner on horseback for C.K.G. Billings, whose mansion occupied the land where The Cloisters are now.”
I’ve always loved how Astrology is intertwined with our society's history, and I love seeing it in person. I plan on continuing this search to unveil the secrets of our past and discover how the study of Astrology has played a role in getting us to where we are now.
While it remains an enigma, The Zodiac Club stands as one of New York City’s oldest and most mysterious elite societies, continuing its legacy in quiet exclusivity. I say continuing because Robert Pirie, a recent Zodiac Club member, lawyer, book collector, and president of Rothschild Inc., stated that the Zodiac Club was "never secret, only private" and will remain in tact, secretly meeting for dinners every last Saturday for as long as it seems relevant.
The original members of 1868 consisted of:
Edward E. Potter as Leo | Alonzo C. Monson as Cancer | J. P. Giraud Foster as Libra | Edwin A. Post as Gemini | Brockholst Cutting as Sagittarius | Wm. Holly Hudson as Pisces | Henry H. Ward as Virgo | James H. Strong as Taurus | Walter L. Cutting as Capricorn | Wm. Cutting as Aquarius | Sec'y. J. W. Clendenin as Aries
The members of the 1907 group consisted of:
Howland as Aries | John G. Milburn as Taurus | Post as Gemini | Latrobe as Cancer | Ross as Leo | Lewis Cass Ledyard as Virgo | J.P. Morgan as Libra | Francis R. Appleton as Scorpio | Bowdoin as Sagittarius | Henry Walters as Capricornus | Charles Lanier as Aquarius | French as Pisces
The members of the 1915 group consisted of:
Richard V. Lindabury as Aries | John G. Milburn as Taurus | Robert Bacon as Gemini | Frank K. Sturgis as Cancer | Joseph H. Choate as Leo | Lewis Cass Ledyard as Virgo | J.P. Morgan Jr. as Libra | Francis R. Appleton as Scorpio | Henry P. Davidson as Sagittarius | Henry Walters as Capricornus | Charles Lanier as Aquarius | Nelson W. Aldrich as Pisces