CINCINNATI, SOCIETY OF THE

hereditary, military, and patriotic organization formed in May 1783 by officers who had served in the U.S. War of Independence. Its objectives were to promote union and national honour, maintain their war-born friendship, perpetuate the rights for which they had fought, and aid members and their families in case of need. The society took its name from the Roman citizen-soldier Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus. With membership open to Revolutionary officers and their eldest male descendants, branches of the society were organized in each of the 13 states; General George Washington was elected its first president. Through failure of heirs, most state societies were dormant by 1835, but a revival was effected at the end of the 19th century. The city of Cincinnati, Ohio, was named in honour of the society in 1790.