Skull and Bones

Skull and Bones, also known as The Order, Order 322, or The Brotherhood of Death, is one of the most storied and secretive collegiate societies in the United States. It was founded in 1832 at Yale University by William Huntington Russell and Alphonso Taft (father of future president William Howard Taft).

The society was created after a dispute among Yale’s debating societies. It quickly established itself as a prestigious senior society, accepting only a select group of students each year, chosen for leadership, influence, or legacy connections. The group’s structure, rituals, and membership have remained

largely opaque, fueling decades of speculation and mythologizing. The society is symbolized most famously by a skull and crossbones motif, often accompanied by the number “322,” which some researchers believe refers to the year 322 BCE, the death of the Greek orator Demosthenes, and possibly the Eulogia society, a rumored predecessor. Another interpretation links it to the German origins of the group, possibly alluding to a chapter of a German lodge or society that may have influenced the formation of Skull and Bones. The society’s cryptic symbolism is echoed in its esoteric initiation rituals, many of which remain unconfirmed.

One of the more well-known traditions is “crooking,” where members, known as “Bonesmen,” are said to pilfer items from Yale’s campus or from society rivals—often items of symbolic or historic value—adding to the club’s legacy of mischief and lore.

Skull and Bones is headquartered in a windowless, sandstone building on Yale’s campus known as “The Tomb,” constructed in 1856 and remodeled multiple times. The interior has never been publicly photographed in full, but descriptions suggest a mix of occult iconography, relics, and austere, ritualistic spaces. Off-campus, the society owns Deer Island, a 40-acre retreat in the St. Lawrence River. Purchased in 1949 by the Russell Trust Association (the society’s corporate arm),

the island is said to host social retreats for members, although its buildings are reportedly in disrepair and used infrequently today. The Russell Trust Association also manages the society’s assets and serves as a front for its financial dealings, further cloaking its operations in secrecy. Many of Skull and Bones’ most famous members have gone on to occupy

significant roles in American political, financial, and cultural life. Among the most well-known are former Presidents William Howard Taft, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush, as well as John Kerry, William F. Buckley Jr., and several captains of industry and intelligence officials. The group has been accused of fostering an elite network that supports its own in government and business. While such claims are often unsubstantiated,

the sheer concentration of influence among its alumni has drawn scrutiny. In popular culture, Skull and Bones has been referenced in everything from the The Good Shepherd (2006),

a film loosely inspired by the birth of the CIA and Skull and Bones connections, to The Skulls (2000), a thriller explicitly based on the society. Literature has also explored its mystique, notably Alexandra Robbins’ Secrets of the Tomb, which attempts a journalistic deep-dive into the group’s history and customs. The society’s secrecy has led to its inclusion in countless conspiracy theories, often lumped together with the Illuminati or Freemasons.

Some theories claim the group manipulates global policy or controls financial institutions, though there’s no credible evidence to support such ideas. More extreme versions of these theories speculate on occult rituals, satanic influences, or secret plans for world domination—fantasies that often say more about the cultural anxieties of their proponents than about the organization itself. Despite all the intrigue, Skull and Bones today remains a senior society primarily for students of Yale University,