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East India Club
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East India Club
The East India Club (originally East India United Service Club) is a gentlemen's club founded in 1849 and situated at 16, St James's Square in London. The full title of the club is East India, Devonshire, Sports and Public Schools' Club due to mergers with other clubs. The club was originally founded for officers of the East India Company. Its membership has included royalty, senior military officers, politicians, diplomats and businessmen. The clubs first patron was Prince Albert.
The club was founded in the middle of the 19th century. Its original members, as set out in the Rule Book of 1851, were:
The East India Company's servants – Clerical, Civil, Military, Naval and Medical of all the Presidencies, including those retired [and] all commissioned officers of Her Majesty's Army and Navy who have served in India, members of the Bar and Legal Profession who may have been or are Company's Advocates and Solicitors ...
But within the first eight years of the club's foundation, following the Indian Mutiny of 1857, the Government of India Act 1858 led to the British Crown assuming direct control of India in the form of the new British Raj. The company was dissolved altogether in 1874, having been rendered by then vestigial, powerless, and obsolete. As a result, the club could no longer look to the East India Company as its main source of members.
Since then, the club has amalgamated with the Sports Club (1938), the Public Schools Club (1972), and the Devonshire (1976), all of which were short of both members and funds, but it continues to be referred to as the East India Club. The majority of the Club's contemporary membership comes from public schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference: proof of a candidate's matriculation at such a school is all that is needed for membership of the Club.
The club's facilities include a dining room and a luncheon room in addition to the American Bar (named in gratitude to the American officers who stayed at the club during the Second World War and provided funds to refurbish the bar after the war), the Canadian Room (named in gratitude to the Canadian officers who stayed at the club during the Second World War and afterwards provided the timber for the room when it was still in short supply), the Drawing Room, the Smoking Room (in which smoking is not permitted), a cigar lounge (in which it is, providing the cigars smoked are purchased in the Club), the library (which includes antiquarian and contemporary books), the Clive Room (named in honour of famed East India Company General Robert Clive), the Card Room, the Rugby Room (where the International Rugby Board met until its move to Dublin) which is now fitted for study or work, and a gymnasium and sauna, a billiard room and 67 bedrooms (including the St James's Suite). The East India Club is a popular venue for private events hosted by members.
The club has reciprocal arrangements with more than 100 clubs throughout the world. Members can use the facilities of overseas reciprocal clubs with a card or letter of introduction issued by the East India Club.
In 2014, the club made headlines after one of its staff stole over £500,000 over a five-year period before the loss was noticed. The culprit, who spent the money on gambling, then pleaded guilty to the fraud. The Club later threatened to sue its own bank for not adequately warning them of the fraud that took place over five years.
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East India Club
The East India Club (originally East India United Service Club) is a gentlemen's club founded in 1849 and situated at 16, St James's Square in London. The full title of the club is East India, Devonshire, Sports and Public Schools' Club due to mergers with other clubs. The club was originally founded for officers of the East India Company. Its membership has included royalty, senior military officers, politicians, diplomats and businessmen. The clubs first patron was Prince Albert.
The club was founded in the middle of the 19th century. Its original members, as set out in the Rule Book of 1851, were:
The East India Company's servants – Clerical, Civil, Military, Naval and Medical of all the Presidencies, including those retired [and] all commissioned officers of Her Majesty's Army and Navy who have served in India, members of the Bar and Legal Profession who may have been or are Company's Advocates and Solicitors ...
But within the first eight years of the club's foundation, following the Indian Mutiny of 1857, the Government of India Act 1858 led to the British Crown assuming direct control of India in the form of the new British Raj. The company was dissolved altogether in 1874, having been rendered by then vestigial, powerless, and obsolete. As a result, the club could no longer look to the East India Company as its main source of members.
Since then, the club has amalgamated with the Sports Club (1938), the Public Schools Club (1972), and the Devonshire (1976), all of which were short of both members and funds, but it continues to be referred to as the East India Club. The majority of the Club's contemporary membership comes from public schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference: proof of a candidate's matriculation at such a school is all that is needed for membership of the Club.
The club's facilities include a dining room and a luncheon room in addition to the American Bar (named in gratitude to the American officers who stayed at the club during the Second World War and provided funds to refurbish the bar after the war), the Canadian Room (named in gratitude to the Canadian officers who stayed at the club during the Second World War and afterwards provided the timber for the room when it was still in short supply), the Drawing Room, the Smoking Room (in which smoking is not permitted), a cigar lounge (in which it is, providing the cigars smoked are purchased in the Club), the library (which includes antiquarian and contemporary books), the Clive Room (named in honour of famed East India Company General Robert Clive), the Card Room, the Rugby Room (where the International Rugby Board met until its move to Dublin) which is now fitted for study or work, and a gymnasium and sauna, a billiard room and 67 bedrooms (including the St James's Suite). The East India Club is a popular venue for private events hosted by members.
The club has reciprocal arrangements with more than 100 clubs throughout the world. Members can use the facilities of overseas reciprocal clubs with a card or letter of introduction issued by the East India Club.
In 2014, the club made headlines after one of its staff stole over £500,000 over a five-year period before the loss was noticed. The culprit, who spent the money on gambling, then pleaded guilty to the fraud. The Club later threatened to sue its own bank for not adequately warning them of the fraud that took place over five years.
