Our History

Our Story

What is a JCI Senatorship?
A JCI Senatorship is an award that may be given to current or past members to honor them for outstanding service to the Junior Chamber organization on the local, national or international level.  It provides a unique means for recognizing the outstanding achievements of members and former members and, at the same time, provides funds for the extension and expansion of Junior Chamber to more and more young people.

A Senatorship confers "Life Membership” in JCI.   Member organizations are encouraged to include a self-operative provision in their constitution that a JCI Senator shall also be a life member of the respective local and national organization (LOM and NOM) The awarding of this status does not exempt the member from payirig regular membership dues to JCI and the question of whether a Senator shall be liable for the payment of local and national dues is matter wholly for local policy and legislation.

Who may be awarded a Senatorship?
Senatorships for current individual members are restricted to members of at least three years standing for services rendered at any level of the organization and are subject to the written approval of the local and national presidents.

Senatorships for past members may be awarded by way of presentation subject to the written approval of the local, state (if any) and national organization presidents.  Such presidents are expected to make as many inquiries with respect to the past Junior Chamber activities of the applicant as they deem appropriate.

Instruction for Enrollment
An application for a Senatorship must be completed. approved and signed by the president of the local organization of the applicant, the president of the national organization of the applicant, and the president of JCI (Consult your national headquarters for any additional requirements -as is the case in Australia, Canada and the USA) No other approval shall be required or permitted.  If the applicant is one of those whose signature is required, the next senior officer may sign for him.  Senate application forms are available upon request from your national headquarters or the JCI World Headquarters.

Before (or at the same time) the application is forwarded to the JCI World Headquarters for approval by JCI president.  A full Senate membership payment must be made to JCl by the sponsoring NOM or LOM.  The application is not approved or processed until it is submitted in the prescribed form bearing all necessity signatures and a full Senate membership payment has been received.  Please allow three weeks for processing and mailing from the JCI World Headquarters.

After the application is approved, the applicant is assigned a number and his name is entered in the Roll of Senators.  The new Senator receives a Senate membership certificate, prepared in calliqraphy, a membership card and a special Senator’s pin.

Presenting a Senatorship
The awarding of a JCI Senatorship is an honor that can be bestowed upon a member only once in a lifetime.  The actual presentation, therefore, should be conducted with appropriate dignity & preferably, at a formal installation ceremony, awards banquet, etc.

The Senate History
This is the story of the birth and growth of a great idea-what developed from it and what heights it has already attained.  It is an account of a program which has in a significant manner enhanced the prestige of Junior Chamber International by retaining the interest and support of many outstanding people throughout the world.

The first seeds of the Senate were sown with the creation of the circular, The Elder Statesman. Our story begins in September 1951 when two prominent members.  JCI President Phil Pugsley and charter member John Armbruster of the original Junior Chamber, were discussing a publication called Log.  which John had been sending out to retired officers and directors of the United States Junior Chamber of Commerce.  Phil, aware of the fine work the Log was doing to keep alive friendships formed among past US Junior Chamber members, struck upon tne idea of sending a similar publication to the "alumni" of Junior Chamber International.  Naturally, Phil asked John to take on the job--who better qualified to edit a publication for JCI "oldtimers" than John Armbruster?

Recalling the incident, John commented: "After discussing various names we could give the little paper, we hit upon The Elder Statesman. The JCI alumni throughout the world were becoming important citizens of their respective countries, and they were, in fact "elder statesmen" to the younger men in the Junior Chamber movement. So this name was adopted for the newsletter.  The Elder Statesman has since become synonymous with "Senate" in the minds of thousands of members and past members throughout the world.

A further development in the Senate story took place in New York City in January 1952 at a casual meeting between JCI Representative to the United Nations Sid Boxer and Phil Pugsley.  During their conversation, questions - which for a long time a remained unanswered - arose:

Why is it that past members are allowed to drift completely away from the movement, when many of them would like to have some lifelong link with Junior Chamber?  Why do local members spend thousands of dollars annually giving baubles in the form of trays, briefcases, desk sets, and the like to those they wish to honor when the same funds, spent on Junior Chamber International, could work for a cause in which they all believed?  Why has an idea like Junior Chamber taken so long to gather enthusiasts around the world after having been alive for nearly 40 years?"

Searching for answers, Phil and Sid conceived the idea that perhaps a group of "honored"members could be formed that would, in effect, help to spread the Junior Chamber concept worldwide At the same time they felt membership in this group could, in many ways, strengthen Junior Chamber International.  So it was that two earnest members, over a cup of coffee, conceived this idea, and the JCI Senate was born.  The idea was presented to the VII JCI World Congress in Melbourne, Australia, in September 1952, where it was approved and placed in the JCI bylaws as a category of membership.  Since then, well over 65,000 Junior Chamber members, in more than 90 countries have been honored. There is a growing appreciation of the value and honor of the Senate.  In granting honorary Life Membership, the Senate provides a subtle link with present and past members.  The nature of the link is one of continuing interest in, and indirect support of, the Junior Chamber movement.

THE SENATE TODAY
Since its inception, the JCI Senatorship has become a coveted honorary award, granted only to those people who have performed outstanding service to the organization.  It is a special award that provides, through life membership, a tangable link with an organization embracing over 420,000 young people in nations around the globe.

It provides a unique means for recognizing the outstanding achievements of members and former members and, at the same time, provides funds for the extension and expansion of Junior Chamber to more and more young people.

SENATE CHAIRMAN
The Immediate Past President of JCI is the Chairman of the JCI Senate.  JCI is responsible for ensuring that information on subjects pertaining to the Senate is distributed to Senators.

SENATE PUBLICATIONS
In 1989, JCI launched the first edition of the Senate World newsletter.

Honoring Our Lost Senators

-Coming Soon-

Past State Senate Presidents

-Coming Soon-