1924-1999 On February 23, 1905, Paul Harris, a Chicago lawyer invited three friends to a meeting where he proposed the formation of a club which would generate fellowship among members of the community.

The club was duly formed, and in the early stages meetings rotated among the members' offices, and it was in this way that Rotary was born. Today there are 1.2 million Rotarians in 27,000 clubs world-wide.

In the early 1920's businessmen visiting New York from Bermuda found themselves being invited as guests to Rotary Club meetings and interest gradually grew for a club on the Island.

The proposal was welcomed by Rotary headquarters and the Rotary Club of New Rochelle, New York, agreed to be the sponsor. On February 6, 1924, the Hamilton Rotary Club had its first meeting and became a member of Rotary International.

Initial membership totalled twenty four in number and represented professional, religious and commercial activities in Bermuda. The first President was a very popular businessman, J.J. (Jack) Arnold, and he was followed by one of the greatest Bermudians of this century, Sir Stanley (S.S.) Spurling, often referred to at the time as Bermuda's unofficial Premier. In March 1926, the club was honoured with an official visit by the founder of Rotary Paul P. Harris.

The club went from strength to strength, and soon occupied a prominent role in the community, and in the Rotary District of which it is a member. In 1940, Sir Stanley became the first Bermudian to achieve distinction in a wider sphere when he was elected District Governor of District No. 7230, a position in which he served with great ability.

In subsequent years, four members of the Hamilton Rotary Club have followed in his footsteps and served as leaders of their Rotary District: W.J. (Jack) Davis (1961-1962); F.F. (Tom) Kiell (1968-1969); Walter Maddocks (1976-1977); W.S. (Bill) Masters Jr. (1983-1984).

The most distinguished Hamilton Rotarian was Jack Davis, who in addition to other offices in Rotary International, became a Director in 1968-1969, third Vice President in 1969-1970, and President in 1977-1978.

Walter Maddocks also served in a number of capacities with Rotary International and received widespread acclaim for the highly successful work which he did as Executive Director of the Polio Plus Programme, which was a major factor in establishing world-wide control of polio.

Over the years the club has maintained a number of programmes in the general interest of the Bermudian community. These include: Sponsoring the selection, in conjunction with the commissioner of Police, of the Parish Constable of the Year; manning the entry gates at the annual Agricultural Exhibition; financing exchange students so that each year a Bermudian student can study in a foreign country, and a student sponsored by Rotary in that country can study in Bermuda; organising a fireworks' display at Dockyard to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day; sponsoring the Jack Davis Memorial Pavilion at Dockyard; holding a raffle at each weekly meeting, the proceeds of which are used to finance a student loan, which enables funds to be advanced when necessary to enable outstanding students to complete their education; providing manpower and materials for repainting and maintaining community service buildings for which money would otherwise not be available.

Many notable people, both local and from overseas have been guests speakers at the Club's Weekly Luncheon and among them have been: The Archbishop of Canterbury; The Speaker of the British House of Commons; The Rev. Norman Vincent Peale; and successive Governors of Bermuda.

With the growth of population and business, the need for additional clubs became apparent and it was the privilege of the Hamilton Club to sponsor the Rotary Club of Pembroke in 1981.

Throughout its seventy-five year history, the Hamilton Club has been a member club of several districts and at present it is District 7230 R.I. The District Conference has been held in Bermuda seven times, 1932, 1962, 1969, 1976, 1982, 1988 and 1998.