AZTEC CLUB OF 1847 - Brief History of its Origins

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History of its Founding

1867

After the meeting of 1852, the next regular meeting of the Club did not occur until after the Civil War, on September 14, 1867, at Astor House in New York City. A meeting of the Aztec Club of 1847 was called and a motion was adopted that General Robert Patterson take the Chair, and General George Sykes be appointed Acting Secretary.

Interestingly, Generals Patterson and Hagner were already believed legally elected as President and Treasurer, and the members present requested those gentlemen to remain in their respective offices, which they agreed to do.

The surviving members acted to establish the permanence of the organization. They took the following steps:

1.	Officers were elected.
2.	A place for the next Annual Meeting was determined.
3.	A list of the Original Members was ordered to be printed and distributed.
4.	A "commemorative insignia" was ordered designed for transmission to living members and to the families of those deceased.

From this time, and until 1958, the method of the Club was to elect a Vice President who would then be elevated to President upon retirement of the existing President. The President was not directly elected until the by-laws were modified to permit it on February 1, 1958.

The action taken at this meeting was submitted to the survivors of the Aztec Club and confirmed by the votes returned to the Secretary. At subsequent regular meetings resolutions were adopted in accordance with Article XII of the Constitution of 1848, as follows:

The following resolutions were offered and adopted:—

1st.	That as soon as funds can be raised from those on hand, without detriment to the 'principal', a sufficient amount shall be devoted to the purchase of a 'medal' commemorative of this association. The President, Treasurer and Secretary are entrusted with its design and execution, and by them it is to be transmitted to living members, and to the families of those deceased.
2nd.	Resolved, "That whenever members may be in or near the City of New York on the 14th of September of any year, they are requested to meet at the Astor House, or other place, at noon of that day, and when so met, the members present shall constitute a quorum."
3rd.	Resolved, "That on the 20th of August of each year, the Secretary shall publish in the Army and Navy Journal, or other paper, a call for a meeting of the Club to take place at 10 a.m. on the 14th of September following. This meeting to be held at the Astor House, or such other place in the City of New York, as the Secretary may designate."
4th.	Resolved, "That Generals Hagner, Sykes and Major Deas be appointed a Special Committee to correspond with members and transact the necessary business of the Club."
5th.	Resolved, "That the Secretary shall send to each member a copy of the ‘original list' of members, noting those known to be deceased."

With these resolutions the evolution to a military society had been completed. The list of members published under the fifth resolution showed that 65 of the 160 members in 1848 had died prior to the meeting of 1867.

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