The Pilgrims of the United States

Our Mission

Founded in 1903, The Pilgrims of the United States, an association of men and women, in alliance with The Pilgrims of Great Britain, seeks to foster fellowship between Americans, the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.
We stand dedicated to the common bond among English speaking peoples, and all others of good will, who espouse the supremacy of fundamental human rights, including freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, freedom to enjoy a healthy, peaceful and secure life where the arts can flourish, equal justice under law, and freedom from fear, everywhere in the world.

Brief History of The Pilgrims

The Pilgrims of the United States was founded in New York in 1903 shortly after the The Pilgrims of Great Britain had been established in London to facilitate closer contacts between Americans and the British. American voices such as former President Grover Cleveland and Mark Twain recognized the increasing closeness of America and the British Empire, and several prominent New Yorkers including the Episcopal Bishop of New York Henry Codman Potter and leaders such as J. Pierpont Morgan, Andrew Carnegie, John Jacob Astor IV, and Morris Jesup backed it. Activities consisted of dinners in honor of visiting British diplomats and generals and admirals. There were also dinners for such luminaries as the polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and Dr. Wilfrid Grenfell, founder of the Labrador Medical Mission. Presidents of The Pilgrims over the years included Joseph H. Choate, Chauncey Depew, Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler, John W. Davis, Hugh Bullock, and Henry Luce III.

The Pilgrims of the United States Activities

While in recent years speakers have included former presidents of the United States, and prime ministers of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and the U.K. Ambassadors to the United States and the United Nations, the list of invited speakers has been expanded. It now includes not only U.S. and British statesmen and political leaders but educators such as the Chancellor of Oxford, notable actors and directors, authors, international media such as director general of the BBC and the New York Times and The Economist, governors of the Bank of England and the leading banks of New York and London, and the directors of the major museums such as the Metropolitan Museum and the British Museum.

General Information

The Pilgrims of the United States has a membership of 1,000. It typically has five or six speakers a year with the receptions of up to 150 participants held in mid town clubs and an annual lunch for 275 at which The Pilgrims Medallion of Service to the Nation is awarded.