The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and community outreach. It was founded by the polymath Benjamin Franklin and is considered the first learned society founded in what became the United States.
American Philosophical Society Hall | |
U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
U.S. National Historic Landmark | |
 Philosophical Hall, the headquarters of the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia | |
    | |
| Location | 104 S. Fifth St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°56′55″N 75°8′58″W / 39.94861°N 75.14944°W |
| Built | 1787 |
| Architect | Samuel Vaughan |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| Website | amphilsoc |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000675 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | January 12, 1965 |
| Designated NHL | January 12, 1965 |
Philosophical Hall, the society's headquarters and a museum, is located just east of Independence Hall in Independence National Historical Park. In 1965, in recognition of the building's history, it was designated a National Historic Landmark.
The society has about 1,000 elected members. As of April 2020, 5,710 members had been inducted since its creation. Through research grants, published journals, the American Philosophical Society Museum, an extensive library, and regular meetings, the society supports a variety of disciplines in the humanities and the sciences.
History
The American Philosophical Society was founded as the Philosophical Society in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin, James Alexander, Francis Hopkinson, John Bartram, Philip Syng Jr., and others as an offshoot of an earlier club, the Junto.
Early members included: Benjamin Franklin, John Dickinson, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson,Alexander Hamilton, James McHenry, Thomas Paine, David Rittenhouse, Peter Stephen Du Ponceau, Nicholas Biddle, Owen Biddle, Benjamin Rush, James Madison, Michael Hillegas, John Marshall, Charles Pettit, and John Andrews.
It was common at the time for intellectual societies to invite members from around the world, where the society recruited members from other countries, including Alexander von Humboldt, the Marquis de Lafayette, Baron von Steuben, Tadeusz Kościuszko, and Princess Dashkova. The society lapsed into inactivity by 1746, but was revived in 1767.
On January 2, 1769, the society united with the American Society for Promoting Useful Knowledge under the name American Philosophical Society Held at Philadelphia for Promoting Useful Knowledge. Franklin was elected the first president. During this time, the society maintained a standing Committee on American Improvements; one of its investigations was to study the prospects for a canal to connect the Chesapeake Bay and the Delaware River. The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, which had been proposed by Thomas Gilpin, Sr., was built in the 1820s.
Following the American Revolutionary War, the society looked for leadership to Francis Hopkinson, one of the signatories of the United States Declaration of Independence. Under his influence, the society received land from the government of Pennsylvania, along with a plot of land in Philadelphia, where Philosophical Hall now stands.
Charles Darwin, Robert Frost, Louis Pasteur, Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz, John James Audubon, Linus Pauling, Margaret Mead, Woodrow Wilson, Maria Mitchell, and Thomas Edison were all prominent members of the society.
Many members of the Society of the Cincinnati were among the APS's first board members and contributors; the APS and SOC still maintain an informal, collegial relationship.
Membership
Membership of the APS "honors extraordinary accomplishments in all fields." It has about 1,000 elected members, comprising about 840 "resident" members (United States citizens or those working or living in the United States) and about 160 "international" members. As of February 2025[update] it had elected 5,890 members since its foundation.
Over that history, 220 members have been from Harvard University, 117 from Princeton University, 91 from Stanford University, and 86 from the University of California, Berkeley. Ten academic institutions have each been affiliated with 50 or more members:
| Institution | Members (1743–2024) |
|---|---|
| Harvard | 220 |
| Princeton | 117 |
| Stanford | 91 |
| Berkeley | 86 |
| Columbia | 76 |
| Chicago | 73 |
| Penn | 67 |
| Yale | 63 |
| MIT | 58 |
| NYU | 42 |
Awards
In 1786, the society established the Magellanic Premium, a prize for achievement in "navigation, astronomy, or natural philosophy," the oldest scientific prize awarded by an American institution, which it still awards. Other awards include the Barzun Prize for cultural history, the Judson Daland Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Investigation, the Benjamin Franklin Medal for distinguished achievement in the sciences, the Lashley Award for neurobiology, the Lewis Award for the best book published by the society in the year, and the Thomas Jefferson Medal for distinguished achievement in the arts, humanities, or social sciences.
Publications
The society has published the Transactions of the American Philosophical Society since 1771. Five issues appear each year. The Proceedings have appeared since 1838; they publish the papers delivered at the society's biannual meetings. The society has also published The Papers of Benjamin Franklin, Joseph Henry, William Penn, and Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Jane Aitken bound 400 volumes for the society.
The society also has an expansive archive on framer of the U.S. constitution John Dickinson.
APS holds the ACLS Collection (American Council of Learned Societies Committee on Native American Languages, American Philosophical Society) which is a collection of indigenous language documents from around the United States including recordings of the Odawa language from northern Michigan. APS has created a guide to help provide broad coverage of the Native American and Indigenous archival collections at the Library & Museum of the American Philosophical Society. These materials date from 1553 to 2020 and include manuscript, audio, and visual materials relating to Indigenous peoples throughout the Americas.
The society also has a collection of manuscripts on the history of the British colonies, Revolutionary War, the history of American science, quantum physics, Charles Darwin and evolution, genetics and the history of technology.
Buildings
Philosophical Hall
Philosophical Hall, at 104 South Fifth Street, Philadelphia, between Chestnut and Walnut Streets, immediately south of Old City Hall, was built in 1785–1789 to house the society and designed by Samuel Vaughan in the Federal style. A third floor was added in 1890 to accommodate the expanding library, but was removed in 1948–1950, when the building was restored to its original appearance for the creation of Independence National Historical Park. In 2001, it was opened to the public as The American Philosophical Society Museum, hosting revolving, thematic exhibitions that explore intersections of history, art, and science. The museum features works of art, scientific instruments, original manuscripts, rare books, natural history specimens, and curiosities of all kinds from the APS's own collections, along with objects on loan from other institutions.
Library Hall
In 1789–90, the Library Company of Philadelphia (LCP) built its headquarters directly across 5th Street from APS. In 1884 LCP sold its building, which was demolished for the expansion of the Drexel & Company Building in 1887. This building was demolished in the mid-1950s, during the creation of Independence National Historical Park.
APS built a library on the site in 1958 and recreated the façade of the old LCP building.
Benjamin Franklin Hall
APS restored the former Farmers' & Mechanics' Bank building at 425–29 Chestnut Street, which was built in 1854–55 to the design of John M. Gries in the Italianate style, to serve as a lecture hall. It is the site of meetings and most major events the society hosts.
Richardson Hall
The Constance C. and Edgar P. Richardson Hall at 431 Chestnut Street, immediately west of Benjamin Franklin Hall, is the former Pennsylvania Company for Insurances on Lives and Granting Annuities Building, which was built in 1871–1873 and designed by Addison Hutton. It contains offices and the Consortium for History of Science, Technology and Medicine.
Gallery
-
![image]()
Interior of Philosophical Hall, c. 1901–02 -
![image]()
Benjamin Franklin Hall in 2013 -
![image]()
Richardson Hall in 2013
Footnotes
- Including Harvard Medical School
Citations
- "National Register Information System – (#66000675)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- Duer, William Alexander. The life of William Alexander, Earl of Stirling, Major-General in the Army of the United States during the Revolution New York: Wiley & Putnam for the New Jersey Historical Society, 1847. p.5
- "Philip Syng, Jr." Archived September 28, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, Philadelphia Museum of Art. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
- "American Philosophical Society selected records, 1784–1954". Archives of American Art. 2011. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
- New International Encyclopedia
- Goodrich, Carter (1974). Government Promotion of American Canals and Railroads, 1800–1890. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-8371-7773-1.
- Kozel, Scott M. (2010). "Chesapeake and Delaware Canal (C & D Canal)". PENNWAYS: Roads to the Future. Scott M. Kozel. Archived from the original on May 13, 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
- "Elected Members". American Philosophical Society. Archived from the original on February 13, 2017. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
- "American Philosophical Society Member History". American Philosophical Society. Archived from the original on September 17, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- "The Magellanic Premium of the American Philosophical Society". American Philosophical Society. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
- "Awards and Prizes". American Philosophical Society. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
- James 1971, p. 26.
- "John H. Powell Collection of John Dickinson Research". American Philosophical Society. Archived from the original on October 12, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
- Languages, American Council of Learned Societies Committee on Native American. "American Council of Learned Societies Committee on Native American Languages, American Philosophical Society [ACLS Collection]: Franz Boas Collection of Materials for American Linguistics". search.amphilsoc.org. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
- "Home | Guide to the Indigenous Materials at the American Philosophical Society". indigenousguide.amphilsoc.org. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
- Smith, Murphy D. (December 1, 1989). "Manuscript Collecting at the American Philosophical Society: The First 101 Years". Journal of the History of Collections. 1 (2): 197–206. doi:10.1093/JHC/1.2.197.
- Gallery, John Andrew, ed. (2004), Philadelphia Architecture: A Guide to the City (2nd ed.), Philadelphia: Foundation for Architecture, ISBN 0962290815 p.160
- Teitelman, Edward & Longstreth, Richard W. (1981), Architecture in Philadelphia: A Guide, Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, ISBN 0262700212, p. 30
- Richard Webster, Philadelphia Preserved (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1976), p. 92.
- "American Philosophical Society Museum: About". ARTINFO. 2008. Retrieved July 25, 2008. [permanent dead link]
- Gallery, John Andrew, ed. (2004), Philadelphia Architecture: A Guide to the City (2nd ed.), Philadelphia: Foundation for Architecture, ISBN 0962290815, pp. 55–56
- "Directions" Archived June 4, 2013, at the Wayback Machine on the APS website
- Gallery, John Andrew, ed. (2004), Philadelphia Architecture: A Guide to the City (2nd ed.), Philadelphia: Foundation for Architecture, ISBN 0962290815, p.64
General and cited sources
- James, Edward T. (1971). Notable American Women, 1607–1950: A Biographical Dictionary. Harvard University Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-674-62734-5.
External links
- Official website
- American Philosophical Society at the Indiana Philosophy Ontology Project
- American Philosophical Society publications Archived January 10, 2023, at the Wayback Machine
- Notes on the American Philosophical Society from the Scholarly Societies project (Wayback Machine copy)
- Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. PA-1464, "American Philosophical Society"
- Listing of Philosophical Hall at Philadelphia Architects and Buildings
- "Writings of Benjamin Franklin", broadcast from the American Philosophical Society from C-SPAN's American Writers
The American Philosophical Society APS is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research professional meetings publications library resources and community outreach It was founded by the polymath Benjamin Franklin and is considered the first learned society founded in what became the United States The Society s SealAmerican Philosophical Society HallU S National Register of Historic PlacesU S National Historic LandmarkPhilosophical Hall the headquarters of the American Philosophical Society in PhiladelphiaShow map of PhiladelphiaShow map of PennsylvaniaShow map of the United StatesLocation104 S Fifth St Philadelphia Pennsylvania U S Coordinates39 56 55 N 75 8 58 W 39 94861 N 75 14944 W 39 94861 75 14944Built1787ArchitectSamuel VaughanArchitectural styleGeorgianWebsiteamphilsoc wbr orgNRHP reference No 66000675Significant datesAdded to NRHPJanuary 12 1965Designated NHLJanuary 12 1965 Philosophical Hall the society s headquarters and a museum is located just east of Independence Hall in Independence National Historical Park In 1965 in recognition of the building s history it was designated a National Historic Landmark The society has about 1 000 elected members As of April 2020 5 710 members had been inducted since its creation Through research grants published journals the American Philosophical Society Museum an extensive library and regular meetings the society supports a variety of disciplines in the humanities and the sciences HistoryBenjamin Franklin in 1746Library Hall in 2024Thomas Jefferson Garden adjacent to Library HallFranklin Hall at the American Philosophical Hall named for Benjamin Franklin the organization s founder The American Philosophical Society was founded as the Philosophical Society in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin James Alexander Francis Hopkinson John Bartram Philip Syng Jr and others as an offshoot of an earlier club the Junto Early members included Benjamin Franklin John Dickinson George Washington John Adams Thomas Jefferson Alexander Hamilton James McHenry Thomas Paine David Rittenhouse Peter Stephen Du Ponceau Nicholas Biddle Owen Biddle Benjamin Rush James Madison Michael Hillegas John Marshall Charles Pettit and John Andrews It was common at the time for intellectual societies to invite members from around the world where the society recruited members from other countries including Alexander von Humboldt the Marquis de Lafayette Baron von Steuben Tadeusz Kosciuszko and Princess Dashkova The society lapsed into inactivity by 1746 but was revived in 1767 On January 2 1769 the society united with the American Society for Promoting Useful Knowledge under the name American Philosophical Society Held at Philadelphia for Promoting Useful Knowledge Franklin was elected the first president During this time the society maintained a standing Committee on American Improvements one of its investigations was to study the prospects for a canal to connect the Chesapeake Bay and the Delaware River The Chesapeake and Delaware Canal which had been proposed by Thomas Gilpin Sr was built in the 1820s Following the American Revolutionary War the society looked for leadership to Francis Hopkinson one of the signatories of the United States Declaration of Independence Under his influence the society received land from the government of Pennsylvania along with a plot of land in Philadelphia where Philosophical Hall now stands Charles Darwin Robert Frost Louis Pasteur Elizabeth Cabot Agassiz John James Audubon Linus Pauling Margaret Mead Woodrow Wilson Maria Mitchell and Thomas Edison were all prominent members of the society Many members of the Society of the Cincinnati were among the APS s first board members and contributors the APS and SOC still maintain an informal collegial relationship MembershipMembership of the APS honors extraordinary accomplishments in all fields It has about 1 000 elected members comprising about 840 resident members United States citizens or those working or living in the United States and about 160 international members As of February 2025 update it had elected 5 890 members since its foundation Over that history 220 members have been from Harvard University 117 from Princeton University 91 from Stanford University and 86 from the University of California Berkeley Ten academic institutions have each been affiliated with 50 or more members Institution Members 1743 2024 Harvard 220Princeton 117Stanford 91Berkeley 86Columbia 76Chicago 73Penn 67Yale 63MIT 58NYU 42AwardsIn 1786 the society established the Magellanic Premium a prize for achievement in navigation astronomy or natural philosophy the oldest scientific prize awarded by an American institution which it still awards Other awards include the Barzun Prize for cultural history the Judson Daland Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Investigation the Benjamin Franklin Medal for distinguished achievement in the sciences the Lashley Award for neurobiology the Lewis Award for the best book published by the society in the year and the Thomas Jefferson Medal for distinguished achievement in the arts humanities or social sciences PublicationsThe society has published the Transactions of the American Philosophical Society since 1771 Five issues appear each year The Proceedings have appeared since 1838 they publish the papers delivered at the society s biannual meetings The society has also published The Papers of Benjamin Franklin Joseph Henry William Penn and Meriwether Lewis and William Clark Jane Aitken bound 400 volumes for the society The society also has an expansive archive on framer of the U S constitution John Dickinson APS holds the ACLS Collection American Council of Learned Societies Committee on Native American Languages American Philosophical Society which is a collection of indigenous language documents from around the United States including recordings of the Odawa language from northern Michigan APS has created a guide to help provide broad coverage of the Native American and Indigenous archival collections at the Library amp Museum of the American Philosophical Society These materials date from 1553 to 2020 and include manuscript audio and visual materials relating to Indigenous peoples throughout the Americas The society also has a collection of manuscripts on the history of the British colonies Revolutionary War the history of American science quantum physics Charles Darwin and evolution genetics and the history of technology BuildingsNational Historic Landmark PlaquePhilosophical Hall Philosophical Hall at 104 South Fifth Street Philadelphia between Chestnut and Walnut Streets immediately south of Old City Hall was built in 1785 1789 to house the society and designed by Samuel Vaughan in the Federal style A third floor was added in 1890 to accommodate the expanding library but was removed in 1948 1950 when the building was restored to its original appearance for the creation of Independence National Historical Park In 2001 it was opened to the public as The American Philosophical Society Museum hosting revolving thematic exhibitions that explore intersections of history art and science The museum features works of art scientific instruments original manuscripts rare books natural history specimens and curiosities of all kinds from the APS s own collections along with objects on loan from other institutions Library Hall Reading room for researchers at Library Hall in 2019 In 1789 90 the Library Company of Philadelphia LCP built its headquarters directly across 5th Street from APS In 1884 LCP sold its building which was demolished for the expansion of the Drexel amp Company Building in 1887 This building was demolished in the mid 1950s during the creation of Independence National Historical Park APS built a library on the site in 1958 and recreated the facade of the old LCP building Benjamin Franklin Hall APS restored the former Farmers amp Mechanics Bank building at 425 29 Chestnut Street which was built in 1854 55 to the design of John M Gries in the Italianate style to serve as a lecture hall It is the site of meetings and most major events the society hosts Richardson Hall The Constance C and Edgar P Richardson Hall at 431 Chestnut Street immediately west of Benjamin Franklin Hall is the former Pennsylvania Company for Insurances on Lives and Granting Annuities Building which was built in 1871 1873 and designed by Addison Hutton It contains offices and the Consortium for History of Science Technology and Medicine GalleryInterior of Philosophical Hall c 1901 02 Benjamin Franklin Hall in 2013 Richardson Hall in 2013FootnotesIncluding Harvard Medical SchoolCitations National Register Information System 66000675 National Register of Historic Places National Park Service January 23 2007 Duer William Alexander The life of William Alexander Earl of Stirling Major General in the Army of the United States during the Revolution New York Wiley amp Putnam for the New Jersey Historical Society 1847 p 5 Philip Syng Jr Archived September 28 2018 at the Wayback Machine Philadelphia Museum of Art Retrieved December 31 2015 American Philosophical Society selected records 1784 1954 Archives of American Art 2011 Archived from the original on September 27 2018 Retrieved June 17 2011 New International Encyclopedia Goodrich Carter 1974 Government Promotion of American Canals and Railroads 1800 1890 Greenwood Press ISBN 978 0 8371 7773 1 Kozel Scott M 2010 Chesapeake and Delaware Canal C amp D Canal PENNWAYS Roads to the Future Scott M Kozel Archived from the original on May 13 2015 Retrieved September 6 2012 Elected Members American Philosophical Society Archived from the original on February 13 2017 Retrieved July 12 2021 American Philosophical Society Member History American Philosophical Society Archived from the original on September 17 2022 Retrieved September 15 2022 The Magellanic Premium of the American Philosophical Society American Philosophical Society Retrieved December 11 2024 Awards and Prizes American Philosophical Society Retrieved December 11 2024 James 1971 p 26 John H Powell Collection of John Dickinson Research American Philosophical Society Archived from the original on October 12 2020 Retrieved May 26 2020 Languages American Council of Learned Societies Committee on Native American American Council of Learned Societies Committee on Native American Languages American Philosophical Society ACLS Collection Franz Boas Collection of Materials for American Linguistics search amphilsoc org Archived from the original on April 7 2022 Retrieved April 7 2022 Home Guide to the Indigenous Materials at the American Philosophical Society indigenousguide amphilsoc org Archived from the original on April 11 2022 Retrieved April 7 2022 Smith Murphy D December 1 1989 Manuscript Collecting at the American Philosophical Society The First 101 Years Journal of the History of Collections 1 2 197 206 doi 10 1093 JHC 1 2 197 Gallery John Andrew ed 2004 Philadelphia Architecture A Guide to the City 2nd ed Philadelphia Foundation for Architecture ISBN 0962290815 p 160 Teitelman Edward amp Longstreth Richard W 1981 Architecture in Philadelphia A Guide Cambridge Massachusetts MIT Press ISBN 0262700212 p 30 Richard Webster Philadelphia Preserved Philadelphia Temple University Press 1976 p 92 American Philosophical Society Museum About ARTINFO 2008 Retrieved July 25 2008 permanent dead link Gallery John Andrew ed 2004 Philadelphia Architecture A Guide to the City 2nd ed Philadelphia Foundation for Architecture ISBN 0962290815 pp 55 56 Directions Archived June 4 2013 at the Wayback Machine on the APS website Gallery John Andrew ed 2004 Philadelphia Architecture A Guide to the City 2nd ed Philadelphia Foundation for Architecture ISBN 0962290815 p 64General and cited sourcesJames Edward T 1971 Notable American Women 1607 1950 A Biographical Dictionary Harvard University Press p 26 ISBN 978 0 674 62734 5 External linksWikimedia Commons has media related to American Philosophical Society Wikisource has the text of a 1920 Encyclopedia Americana article about The American Philosophical Society Official website American Philosophical Society at the Indiana Philosophy Ontology Project American Philosophical Society publications Archived January 10 2023 at the Wayback Machine Notes on the American Philosophical Society from the Scholarly Societies project Wayback Machine copy Historic American Buildings Survey HABS No PA 1464 American Philosophical Society Listing of Philosophical Hall at Philadelphia Architects and Buildings Writings of Benjamin Franklin broadcast from the American Philosophical Society from C SPAN s American Writers
