Our History

During the early nineteenth century, numerous collegiate debate societies prepared students for careers as civic leaders, entrepreneurs, and eloquent defenders of the peculiarities of the United States of America. The Philonomosian Society, founded on January 8, 1839, was no exception. Given Georgetown's unique location in the nation's capital, students of "Potomac's Lovely Daughter" clamored to participate in debates on topics of history, philosophy, and current events. The Philodemic Society, the sister debate organization of the Philonomosian, prevented underclassmen and members of Georgetown's preparatory division (later the Georgetown Preparatory School) from participating in debates.

 As such, students petitioned Rev. John A. McGuigan, S.J., a Jesuit who entered the priesthood in 1847 and then a member of the Georgetown faculty, to create a more inclusive peer institution and serve as the Society's first president. Uptake was incremental, but dozens of underclassmen grew to call themselves Philonomosians. The first officers of the Society included J. Cooke Longstreth of Pennsylvania (Vice President), C. Guttschlich of the District of Columbia (Secretary), W. W. Watson of Mississippi (Corresponding Secretary), N. Snowden of Maryland (Librarian), Jacob B. Smith of Pennsylvania (Treasurer), C.H. Pendergast of Maryland (First Censor), Clement Hill of Maryland (Second Censor), and Edmond R. Smith of New York (Amanuensis). Fr. McGuigan would serve as President of the Philonomosian throughout his time at Georgetown. Later in life, he succeeded Fr. James A. Ryder, S.J, as the Pastor of the Church of St. John the Evangelist and served until he died in 1859. His memory is honored in the annual McGuigan Debate. 

Early debates included many pressing issues facing America, including concerns about equality, economics, and politics. Catholic issues relevant to Georgetown's student body composition at the time were also regularly discussed. Within a few years, the Philonomosian rivaled the prestige of the Philodemic Society, and many debates between the members occurred. Both societies would flourish until the Civil War, in which all scholastic activities were interrupted for several years. Resumed in 1865, the Philonomosian would continue to prosper and was notable for its hard-hitting, atemporal topics, such as an 1895 debate on the morality of capital punishment.  

In 1905, the demands of the Georgetown Preparatory School made it necessary to transfer one of the debating societies to that institution. The Philonomosian, being the younger of the two societies, was determined by the faculty that it should be given to the Preparatory School, where it would remain until 1920. When the Preparatory School was transferred to its current location in North Bethesda, Maryland, Georgetown College again assumed the Philonomosian according to its 1839 and 1903 Constitutions. A cadre of students, under the guidance of Rev. William Coleman Nevils, S.J., ensured that the returned Philonomosian was made up of those students deprived of membership in the Philodemic by their inability to accommodate all those seeking membership. Accordingly, the Society was again placed actively in the ranks of Georgetown's honored institutions. The following officers were elected: P. C. Lauinger (President), J. F. Little (Vice President), Albert Leary (Secretary), A. J. Sheridan (Treasurer), William Amend (Amanuensis), Arthur Rooney and Dobel Anderson (Censors). The regular meetings began in February 1920, and the Society made rapid progress towards attaining its old-time perfection. The last mention of the Philonomosian Society as an active campus organization can be found in the "Ye Doomsday Book" from the 1931-1932 academic year, upon which the storied institution faded into obscurity. 

Below is an excerpt from "Georgetown University in the District of Columbia: 1789-1907" written by James Stanislaus Easby-Smith, detailing the early years of the Philonomosian Society.