Specific to the United States, the Social Register is a directory of names and addresses of the powerful and wealthy individuals who form the social elite, though until recently not necessarily the political or corporate elite; inclusion in the Social Register was formerly a guide to the members of "polite society" (or those with "old money") in the "Social Register cities": Boston, Buffalo, Cleveland, New York, Kansas City, Philadelphia,^[1] St. Louis, and San Francisco. Look up elite, élite in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Nickname: Location in Massachusetts, USA Coordinates: , Country United States State Massachusetts County Suffolk County Settled 1630 Incorporated (city) 1822 Government  - Governor Deval Patrick (D) Area  - City  89. ... Nickname: Location of Buffalo in New York State County Erie County Government  - Mayor Byron Brown Area  - City 52. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Nickname: Location in Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass Counties in the state of Missouri. ... Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Quaker City Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Mayor John F. Street (D) Area    - City 369. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Nickname: Location of the City and County of San Francisco, California Coordinates: , Country United States of America State California City-County San Francisco Government  - Mayor Gavin Newsom Area  - City  47 sq mi (122 km²)  - Land  46. ...

History

The original New York Social Register first was published in 1886^[2] by Louis Keller, a German-American of wide social acquaintance, who combined the "visiting lists" of a number of fashionable ladies.^[3] It initially consisted largely of the descendants of English or Dutch settlers, the "Knickerbocker" merchant class who had built New York City. Louis Keller is best known as the publisher of the New York Social Register. ... German Americans are citizens of the United States of ethnic German ancestry and currently form the largest ancestry group in the United States. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the Queen England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 967 AD  Area  -  Total 130,395 km²  50,346 sq mi  Population  -  2007 estimate 50... The Knickerbocracy was a popular synonym for The Four Hundred, the supposed quantity of the social elite of New York City in the late 19th Century. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

By 1918, there were eighteen such annual volumes, representing twenty-six cities, such as Toledo, Ohio. There was no single all-encompassing Social Register; instead, local indices were compiled and published annually. In the case of Canada, proximity to the United States and increasing cultural distance from the United Kingdom led to the inclusion of some Canadians in American social registers. Later, uniquely Canadian volumes were created, including a series with nationwide coverage, The Social Register of Canada, first published in 1958. The Summer Social Register of 1952, listing all cities, covers New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Chicago, Boston, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati & Dayton, Baltimore, Buffalo. Nickname: Location in the state of Ohio Coordinates: Country United States State Ohio County Lucas Founded 1833 Government  - Mayor Carty Finkbeiner (D) Area  - City 84. ... Nickname: Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location of Washington, D.C., in relation to the states Maryland and Virginia Coordinates: Country United States Federal District District of Columbia Government  - Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D)  - City Council Chairperson: Vincent C. Gray (D) Ward 1: Jim Graham (D) Ward 2: Jack... Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... Nickname: Motto: Benigno Numine (With the Benevolent Deity) Location in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States Commonwealth Pennsylvania County Allegheny Founded November 25, 1758 Incorporated April 22, 1794 (borough)   March 18, 1816 (city) Government  - Mayor Luke Ravenstahl (D) Area  - City 151. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Nickname: Motto: Birthplace of Aviation Coordinates: , Country United States State Ohio County Montgomery Founded April 1, 1796 Incorporated 1805 Government  - Mayor Rhine L. McLin Area  - City  56. ... Nickname: Motto: The Greatest City in America,[4] Get in on it. ...

In the enormously expanded society of the Gilded Age, the American institution of a Social Register filled a newly perceived void, one that was being served in the United Kingdom by Who's Who, which, since 1849, had identified public figures in Parliament and the professions as well as aristocrats and gentry, and by Burke's Peerage, which had appeared for the first time in 1826 and identified the members of the peerage of the United Kingdom and the baronets. Burke's Peerage was extended beyond the peerage in 1833, when the first of the companion series of volumes that became known as Burke's Landed Gentry, was published. Family backgrounds of those of purely celebrity interest were not added to Burke's until the 1930s, when the family had lost editorial control. The Breakers, a gilded-age mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. ... Whos Who is the name of a number of publications, generally containing concise biographical information on a particular group of people. ... The Houses of Parliament, as seen over Westminster Bridge The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories. ... Burkes Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage is an authoritative guide to the titled families of Great Britain and Ireland. ... The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801. ... A baronet (traditional abbreviation Bart, modern abbreviation Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown known as a baronetcy. ... “Megastar” redirects here. ...

One's entry in the Social Register was not guaranteed to be permanent. Persons were removed from the ranks for various scandals or pecadillos, or for simply pursuing "undesirable" careers such as the theatre, such as in the case of the actress Jane Wyatt, who was a descendant of the prominent Van Rensselaer family. Jane Waddington Wyatt (August 12, 1910 – October 20, 2006) was an American actress in films and television. ...

Today

A successor publication, The Social Register, is released annually as a single national directory, published in winter and summer editions from New York by Forbes magazine. Those aspiring to be listed must be sponsored by at least five individuals currently appearing in its pages. Those sponsored are reviewed by an Advisory Committee that has the final decision; about five percent of suggested names are added each year. The Committee also arrives at additions on its own and sends the potential listees "blanks" -- forms to fill in information. The President and Vice President (and thus, by extension, their wives the First and Second Ladies) always are included. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The presidential seal was first used in 1880 by President Rutherford B. Hayes and last modified in 1959 by adding the 50th star for Hawaii. ... Seal of the office of the Vice-President of the United States The Vice President of the United States is the first in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of the United States upon the death, resignation, or removal of the President. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Lynne Cheney, the current Second Lady of the United States The Second Lady of the United States is an unofficial title for the wife of the Vice President of the United States styled relatively to the formal title of the First Lady who is wife to the President and principal...

In addition to winter and summer addresses (termed "Dilatory Domiciles"), the Social Register lists the educational backgrounds, maiden names, and club affiliations of listed persons. Juniors can be listed with their parents beginning at birth (a recent change from the age of 13). It is sometimes called, humorously, a "stud book". A breed registry, also known as a stud book, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. ...

Members of so-called Café Society were not necessarily listed in the Social Register, but that has changed. Bobby Short, the "king" of café society, (and also a prominent African American) was listed for many years until his death. Café society was the collective description for the so-called beautiful people and bright young things who gathered in fashionable cafes and restaurants in Paris, London, Rome or New York, beginning in the late 1800s. ... Bobby Short (born September 15, 1924) is an American cabaret singer known for his interpretation of songs by early 20th century composers like Rodgers and Hart and Cole Porter. ...

A few independent social registers continue publication, such as the Denver Social Register and Record, which was first published in 1908 as Who's Who in Denver Society from materials that had been collected since 1904 by Mrs. Crawford Hill. It was distinguished from the unmodified listings of "Social Register cities" by its inclusion of chapters on subjects such as "Worth Over a Million," "Pioneers in the Social Field," "Types of Denver Beauty" and "Eligible Men"^[4] Nickname: Location of Denver in Colorado Location of Colorado in the United States Coordinates: Country United States State Colorado City-County Denver (coextensive) Founded [1] November 22, 1858 Incorporated November 7, 1861 Government  - Type Strong Mayor/Weak Council  - Mayor John Hickenlooper (D) Area [1]  - City & County  154. ... Crawford Hill is located in Holmdel Township, New Jersey. ...

There is also the Los Angeles Blue Book (also known as the Society Register of Southern California), which has published since 1917 and the District of Columbia Green Book. While the LA book naturally included a substantial number of Roman Catholics from onset, given that Spanish land-grant families created the city's elite society, it also continues to almost totally avoid persons in the entertainment field. Both of these editions are published annually. Nickname: Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates: , State California County Los Angeles County Settled 1781 Incorporated April 4, 1850 Government  - Type Mayor-Council  - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa  - City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo  - Governing body City Council Area  - City  498. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      The Roman Catholic Church... A land grant is a gift of land made by the government for projects such as roads, railroads, or especially academic institutions. ...

In March 2006, the Social Register Web site was launched. It is intended for the use of listed persons only.

Some European precursors

In continental Europe, the earlier precursors of Burke's were the genealogical almanacs, many of which were maintained more or less informally across Europe, deriving their information from court gazettes and published genealogies. In 1763, appeared the first edition of the Almanach de Gotha, which detailed the ancestry of all of the reigning European dynasties and superseded all others as the standard work of reference. 1763 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The Almanach de Gotha was a directory of Europes nobility first published in 1763 at the ducal court of Friedrich III of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (which included the city of Gotha). ...

Notes

1. ^ The Philadelphia volume included Wilmington, Delaware.
2. ^ According to the current publisher, Forbes, at ForbesInc.com.
3. ^ Social Register online
4. ^ http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/spotlight_columnists/article/0,2777,DRMN_23962_4341962,00.html "Blue Book centennial a history of prominence", Rocky Mountain News 26 December 2005]

: Chemical Capital of the World , Corporate Capital of the World , Credit Card Capital of the World : A Place to Be Somebody United States Delaware New Castle 17. ...

References

• Stephen Birmingham, Our Crowd: The Great Jewish Families of New York notes the exceptions to exclusion of Jews.
• Cleveland Amory, Who Killed Society?
• Stephen Richard Higley, Privilege, Power, and Place: The Geography of the American Upper Class Based on the geographical locations of listed persons in the 1988 Social Register.
• The Social Register of Canada, volume I (1958), and subsequent volumes 2 (1959), and 3 (1961). The Social Register of Canada Association. Montreal, Canada.

Cleveland Amory with his cat Polar Bear Cleveland Amory (1917 - October 14, 1998) was an author who devoted his life to promoting animal rights. ...

External links

• Social Register Online
• St. Louis, Missouri Social Register 1924
• Green with Envy, Social List of Washington, D.C., Green Book
• Green Is Good, Too, Social List of Washington, Green Book
• The Straight Dope: How do you get listed in the Social Register?
• "The Denver Social Register and Record celebrates publication with the annual Champagne Reception & Tea," The Denver Post 12 December 2002.
• "Blue Book centennial a history of prominence", Rocky Mountain News 26 December 2005.