The Adventurers' Club of New York was an adventure-oriented private men's club founded in New York City in 1912 by Arthur Sullivant Hoffman, editor of the popular pulp magazine Adventure."Arthur Hoffman, Editor, Teacher" (obituary). The New York Times, March 15, 1966. There were 34 members at the first meeting. In its second year, "Sinclair Lewis, Hoffman's assistant, was elected secretary and served three years.""The Adventurers' Club." The Adventurer, January 1937. A history of the club. The Adventurer periodically printed an updated history of the club. Most of this information rolled over into The Adventurers' Golden Jubilee. Monthly dinner meetings, and weekly luncheons, were the primary functions of the club.
According to club secretary, and newspaperman Fred J. Splitstone, the club's "One inviolate rule is that no publicity is ever given to the meetings. It makes men freer to talk.""The Adventurers." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, April 5, 1925. It also makes the club difficult to research. However, soon after making those comments, in 1926, the club began publishing a monthly newsletter, The Adventurer. It ran at least until 1960. Its content primarily concerned club business, e.g., leadership changes and new members. It occasionally ran profiles—and obituaries—of members. The main content was typically a description of the previous monthly dinner meeting. The speakers were described, along with a summation of their speeches.
A weekly CBS radio show, Gold Seal Associates, featuring members of the club describing the most exciting moment of their lives, was inaugurated on June 13, 1930. Major C. E. Russell was the inaugural speaker."Exciting Adventure New Series' Basis." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 1, 1930.
The club was one of several such clubs in New York. The other clubs were the also now dormant Ends of the Earth Club, which included Mark Twain as a member, and the still exant Explorers Club.
The New York club appears to have faded out in the 1970s, but is survived through its Los Angeles chapter.
Chapters Spin-off clubs were founded in Chicago, Los Angeles, Copenhagen, Pretoria, Honolulu, and Singapore. The Adventurers' Club of Los Angeles and the Adventurers' Club of Denmark remain active, The Adventurers' Club of Honolulu was last known to have met in 2023.Adventurers' Club of Honolulu current newsletter, March 2017. The Copenhagen chapter was founded in 1938, and the Honolulu chapter was founded in 1954.
Los Angeles Founded in 1921 and incorporated in the State of California the following year, The Adventurers' Club of Los Angeles has the distinction of being the only extant chapter in continuous operation for its entire existence. The club has been located in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood east of Los Angeles for the past 30+ years. They were formerly located in the basement of the Masonic Temple on Pico Boulevard at Figueroa just south of Los Angeles for some 20 years prior to that. That Masonic Temple was demolished in 1985 to make way for the Los Angeles Convention Center South Hall expansion.
Like the New York club, it was originally founded as a gentlemen's club, prohibiting female members and resisting calls to admit women until 2024, when declining membership finally necessitated the need to do so.
The club was started by Jack Roulac, a member of the Chicago chapter who founded the club when he moved to Los Angeles. The membership has included actors and adventurers as varied as Buddy Ebsen, John Anson Ford, Bob Gilliland, John Goddard, Sterling Hayden, Dick Kelty, and Paul MacCready. The club's logo and flag was originally designed by Ginger Lamb, whose husband Dana was also a member. A plaque with the logo was affixed on the Ranger 4 space mission by members who worked at JPL, and remains on the moon to this day. Honorary members and speakers have included Buzz Aldrin, James Cameron, and Tenzing Norgay.
Members In 1925, the club had 185 total members, of whom 140 were active."The Adventurers." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, April 5, 1925. The Adventurers' Golden Jubilee (1964) listed 195 active members and 68 associate members, for 263.The Adventurers' Golden Jubilee, 1964. New York: The Adventurers' Club, Inc., 1965, 145–154.
Among the members of the Adventurers' Club of New York were many prominent citizens, travelers, writers, artists, and explorers, including the following.Names were obtained from The Adventurers' Golden Jubilee, selected issues of The Adventurer, and newspaper articles. Some individuals were members for decades, while others joined the club but participated little. Activity frequently depended on the member's proximity to New York City. Members who attended the first meeting on December 7, 1912, are indicated with "[O]," for original."Hardy Spirits Organize." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, December 8, 1912.
Aage, Count of Rosenborg. Danish prince and officer of the French Foreign Legion. Adamson, Hans Christian. Writer: spent 24 days adrift in the Pacific with Eddie Rickenbacker. Akeley, Carl. Taxidermist; contributor to natural history museums. Aughinbaugh, Dr. William E. A doctor, "a medical hobo," who practiced in perilous places around the globe."The Adventurers." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, April 5, 1925. Bairnsfather, Bruce. British humorist and cartoonist; WWI veteran. Barclay, McClelland. Magazine, poster, and advertising artist. Baldwin, Captain Tom. [O] Pioneer balloonist. Bartlett, Bob. Arctic explorer. Bedford-Jones, H. Prolific pulp adventure fiction author. Braley, Berton. [O] Prolific poet. Bruno, Harry. Early aviation promoter. Buck, Frank. Hunter, collector of wild animals, and filmmaker. Bullard, Robert Lee. Decorated WWI officer. Byrd, Admiral Richard E. USN admiral, polar explorer. Calvert, E. H. Spanish–American War veteran (Cuba); silent film actor and director. Clark, James Lippitt. Explorer, sculptor and scientist. Cotlow, Lewis N. World traveler. Couzens, H. D. [O] Adventure author. Currie, Barton Wood. Author and book collector. Curtis, Leland. Artist and explorer. De Brissac, Ricardo. Magazine writer and soldier of fortune."Wits Used By Adventurer to Get Into Prison." Bellingham Herald, February 4, 1914. de Prorok, Byron. Archaeologist, anthropologist, explorer, and author of travelogues. Dingle, Captain A. E. [O] Sea-story author; claimed to be the "very first member … at the very first meeting."A. E. Dingle. Letter dated December 1, 1936, in The Adventurer, December 1936. Dunn, J. Allan. Popular pulp adventure and western fiction author. Eddy, Clyde. River explorer. Duquesne, Fritz. [O] Boer War veteran; big-game hunter; convicted spy. Dwyer, James Francis. [O] Popular pulp writer. Eagan, Eddie. Summer and Winter Olympic Games athlete. Footner, Hulbert. [O] Canoe explorer; prolific author. Foran, W. Robert. British Army officer; co-founder of the NY club; established the Chicago chapter. Forman, Harrison. World traveler and author. Gallery, Daniel V. USN officer; captured U-boat in WWII. Grey, Zane. The popular author of Westerns. Hare, Jimmy. Photojournalist and contributor to Collier's. Hawks, Frank. Aviator. Henshaw, Neville G. Author. Hiller, Lejaren. Illustrator and photographer. Hinton, Walter. Early aviator. Hoffman, Arthur Sullivant. [O] Editor of Adventure; co-founder of the club. Hoffman, Harold G. Governor of New Jersey. Holt, George E. US consular official in Morocco. Wrote fiction based in India and Morocco. Howden Smith, Arthur D. [O] Historian and Adventure author. Hyne, C. J. Cutcliffe. Sea-story author.
Irwin, Will. Author and journalist. Jackson, William Henry. Painter, Civil War veteran, geological survey photographer and explorer. Kyne, Peter B. Spanish–American War veteran (Philippines); prolific western author. Johnson, Martin. Traveler and filmmaker, with wife Osa; cook on Jack London's yacht, the Snark. Law, Frederick Houk. Bicycle traveler and pulp writer. Lewis, Sinclair. [O] A. S. Hoffman's assistant editor at Adventure; famous novelist. Liebe, Hapsburg. Spanish–American War veteran (Philippines); prolific pulp western author; Adventure contributor. Lovfal, Per. Electrical engineer; Arctic explorer. Lund, Dane. Spanish–American War veteran (Cuba). MacCreagh, Gordon. [O] Traveler, Adventure contributor. McCloy, John. US Naval officer and twice Congressional Medal of Honor awardee. McCurdy, J. A. D. [O] Canadian aviation pioneer. Meeker, Ezra. Traveled the Oregon Trail by ox-drawn wagon. Mundy, Talbot. [O] Popular adventure-fiction author, prominent in Adventure. Pangborn, Clyde. Barnstorming aviator and the first pilot to fly non-stop over the northern Pacific Ocean. Pierrot, George F. World traveler; host of World Adventure on Detroit radio and television; editor of The American Boy magazine. Pond, James B. "Bim" . Traveler and lecturer. Reynolds, Stephen Allen. [O] Sailor, whaler, and soldier; first club secretary. Ripley, Robert. Cartoonist, famous for Ripley's Believe It or Not!. Ritchie, Robert Welles. Journalist, author. Roberts, Theodore Goodridge. Author, soldier, and traveler. Robertson, George. [O] Automobile racer. Russell, Major C. E. Member of the US Intelligence Service and Philippines veteran. Schwarzkopf, Norman. Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. Siemel, Sasha. Adventurer, hunter, guide, actor, writer, photographer, and lecturer. Steeger, Harry. As head of Popular Publications, published Adventure from July 1934 forward. Stephens, Fred. Rocky Mountains trapper and guide. Stoloff, Victor. Filmmaker. Terhune, Albert Payson. Popular fiction author famous for the novel Lad, a Dog. Thomas, Lowell. Popular journalist and travel writer; brought Lawrence of Arabia to fame. Trefflich, Henry. Animal importer and dealer. von Hoffman, Carl. Soldier, adventurer, author, and photographer of German ancestry. Wallace, Frederick William. Journalist; Adventure contributor. Walsh, Henry Collins. [O] First president of the club (1912–17). Wells, Carveth. World traveler and lecturer. Wells, Linton. Foreign correspondent, world traveler, and pioneer broadcaster. Wilkins, Sir Hubert. Australian polar explorer, ornithologist, pilot, soldier, geographer and photographer. Wirkus, Faustin E. US Marine who ruled Haiti. Witwer, H. C. War correspondent and prolific short-story author. Wood, Major General Leonard. Distinguished US Army officer. Yancey, Lon. USN veteran and history-making aviator.
Speakers Notable speakers before the club include the following:
1926 January 16: Ezra Meeker."Boro Associations Hold Social Events." The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, January 18, 1926. This was the "10th annual dinner." The anniversary may refer to the club's incorporation since its founding in 1912. 1926 January 16. Lt. Roland G. Mayer. Survivor of the airship Shenandoah, which crashed in 1925. 1931 January ??: Frank Buck. Hunter and filmmaker. 1931 January ??: Owen R. Jones. Accompanist to Adelina Patti. 1932 December ??: J. Allan Dunn. Adventure pulp writer. 1936 April 16: Frederick Houk Law. Traveler and writer. 1936 May 21: J. Allan Dunn. 1936 May 21: Sasha Siemel. Adventurer, hunter, guide, actor, writer, photographer, and lecturer. 1936 October 15: Tony Sarg. Illustrator. 1936 October 15: Leon Dabo. Artist. 1936 November 19: Martin Johnson. Traveler and filmmaker. 1936 November 19: Alan Villiers. Author and explorer. 1936 November 19: Walter Granger. President of the Explorers Club. 1937 January 21: Attilio Gatti. Italian explorer, author and filmmaker. 1937 May 20: Julien Bryan. Photographer, filmmaker, and documentarian. 1938 March 17: Sasha Siemel. 1938 April 21: William E. Young. Sailor, shark expert. 1938 May 19: Claus K. Clausen. Decorated US Navy officer. 1938 December 15: Jimmy Hare. Photojournalist. 1939 January 19: Ralph DePalma. Dirt track auto racing champion. 1939 February 16: Jimmy Jemail. NFL player and journalist.