The Century Association was established as a club composed of authors, artists, and amateurs of the arts and letters; this last category, as defined by the Admissions Committee, includes individuals “of any occupation [whose] breadth of interest and qualities of mind and imagination [make] them sympathetic, stimulating and congenial companions in a society of authors and artists.” As a consequence of this broad definition, members of the Century have made distinguished contributions in a multitude of professional fields. The categories listed below display selected members of the Century elected prior to 1923 whose renown has proven enduring to the present day.
- Chester A. Arthur
- Adam Badeau
- George Bancroft
- August Belmont
- John Bigelow
- Hiram Bingham
- Samuel Blatchford
- Addison Brown
- William Cullen Bryant
- Charles C. Burlingham
- Nicholas Murray Butler
- John L. Carroll
- Luigi P. di Cesnola
- Joseph H. Choate
- Grover Cleveland
- Archibald Cary Coolidge
- Edward Cooper
- Frederic R. Coudert
- Robert W. de Forest
- Chauncey M. Depew
- Henry A. Du Pont
- Smith Ely Jr.
- William M. Evarts
- Horace Fairbanks
- Charles S. Fairchild
- Hamilton Fish
- James L. Graham Jr.
- Townsend Harris
- John Hay
- Abram S. Hewitt
- Herbert Hoover
- Edward M. House
- Charles Evans Hughes
- Washington Hunt
- John Jay
- W. L. Mackenzie King
- Franklin K. Lane
- Robert T. Lincoln
- Henry Cabot Lodge
- Seth Low
- Dwight W. Morrow
- Levi Parsons Morton
- John R. Mott
- William B. Ogden
- George Opdyke
- Gifford Pinchot
- Whitelaw Reid
- Thomas B. Reed
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Theodore Roosevelt
- Elihu Root
- Samuel B. Ruggles
- Edward T. Sanford
- Jacob G. Schurman
- Carl Schurz
- Henry L. Stimson
- George Templeton Strong
- William Howard Taft
- Bayard Taylor
- Samuel J. Tilden
- Gulian C. Verplanck
- John Elliot Ward
- George W. Wickersham
- Woodrow Wilson
- John Gilbert Winant
Select a Category
- Visual Arts
- Architecture
- Literature
- Publishing
- Journalism
- Law
- Public Service
- Military
- Commerce
- Philanthropy
- Religion
- Education
- Science/Technology/Engineering
- Medicine
- Performing Arts