Chicago Woman’s Society founded by botanist and suffragist Kate Newell Doggett.

The Fortnightly of Chicago, the city’s oldest women’s organization, was founded in 1873 during a period of rebuilding after the Chicago Fire of 1871. Embodying the nineteenth century passion for self-improvement, founder Kate Newell Doggett gathered a group of like-minded friends to meet regularly and to research and present intellectually stimulating papers. Officially incorporated in 1876, Mrs. Doggett served as the first president from 1876 through 1879.

The Society evolved to attract members as different as Jane Addams, a founder of Hull House and the first Juvenile Court in the nation, and Bertha (Mrs. Potter) Palmer, society figure and President of the Board of Lady Managers at the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. Other early members included Janet H. Ayer, Amanda M. Bliss, Susan M. Hamilton, Ellen Martin Henrotin, Ellen R. Jewitt, Mary Hunt Loomis, Emily (Mrs. Franklin) MacVeagh, and Mary Wilmarth.

Although the Society first gathered in members’ homes, as its numbers grew it met in other venues, including the foyer of Orchestra Hall and the Fine Arts building. In 1922, The Fortnightly of Chicago purchased the notable Helen and Bryan Lathrop House (120 E. Bellevue Place) from Helen Aldis Lathrop, a long-time member. The House was designed by Charles Follen McKim of architectural firm McKim, Mead & White and built in 1892. It was designated a Chicago Landmark in 1973, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, and continues to serve as the home of the Fortnightly today.

Individual members still present programs several times each year, but guests more regularly speak at The Fortnightly. Over the years, the Society has hosted prominent speakers including Mark Twain, Henry James, Robert Frost, Isaac Stern, and William Butler Yeats. More recently, guest speakers have included Daniel Barenboim, Frank McCourt, Gwendolyn Brooks, Ed Pashke, Patrick Fitzgerald, Mayor Richard M. Daley, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Yo-Yo Ma, Mary Zimmerman, and Jeanne Gang.

In addition to luncheon programs each fortnight, afternoon teas and evening dinners feature member and guest speakers or performances by actors and musicians. Special activities of The Fortnightly include seminars, unique tours, and visits to artists’ studios and local museums. Particular interest groups include book discussion, bridge, film discussion, investment club, the Fortnightingales and opera lectures.