Harvard University recently issued an edict which stated that no member of a single-gender organization, i.e., fraternity, sorority, final club, etc., could captain a sports team, ironically most of which are single-gender, or obtain college endorsement for select fellowships (see http://wp.me/p20I1i-2EX). A member of a Harvard fraternity told me about another dark episode in Harvard’s past. The Secret Courts of 1920 ruined the lives of a number of Harvard students who were alleged to be homosexuals. A witch hunt had taken place in 1920; would witch hunts begin happening in the 2020s when students would have to sign an oath that they were not or had never been a member of a single-gender organization? Is history going to repeat itself soon?
The story which took place nearly 100 years ago did not come to light until 2002. Harvard Crimson reporter, Amit R. Paley, then a Harvard sophomore, was researching an article about another topic and came across a vague reference to the “Secret Court.” When asked if he could see the files, the Archives refused to allow him access. Paley was told to contact Harry R. Lewis, the Dean of the College. Lewis refused Paley access to the files. Paley appealed Lewis’ decision. An advisory committee was formed to decide on the matter and, after months of deliberation, allowed the files to be released. However, the names of the students involved were redacted – blacked out. Requests for unredacted files were denied. Paley and his colleagues spent months combing through documents to piece together the identities of the Harvard students whose lives were forever changed by the actions of the secret tribunal.
The stumbling upon of the reference to the Secret Court led Paley on a six-month mission to tell the story of the men whose lives were forever changed after they were summoned to appear before the secretive body. The tribunal was headed by Acting Dean Chester Noyes Greenough; he reported to the President of Harvard University, Abbott Lawrence Lowell, who is pictured below on the cover of Time. Lowell’s decisions were final.
Paley’s two part-article is located at http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2002/11/21/the-secret-court-of-1920-at/ and http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2002/11/21/the-secret-court-of-1920-part-two/. For Paley’s account of the story before the story, see http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2002/11/21/the-secret-court-of-1920-cont/
© Fran Becque, www.fraternityhistory.com, 2016. All Rights Reserved. If you enjoyed this post, please sign up for updates. Also follow me on twitter @GLOHistory and Pinterest www.pinterest.com/glohistory.
