Sons of Norway
history of the order
The Sons of Norway was founded in 1895 as an ethnic fraternal benefit society for (mostly American) persons of Norwegian birth, descent, or affiliation by marriage. There were 90,000 members in 1995. In 2008 it had 68,000 members, living in the U.S., Canada and Norway. The order was incorporated as the Independent Order of the Sons of Norway in 1898, three years after its foundation. After union with the Grand Lodge of the Sons of Norway of the Pacific Coast in 1912, it adopted a new constitution, which reflected a growth in ethnic self-esteem. Members talked about giving their adopted land the benefits of their "social and political consciousness," while in the earlier document the organization had hoped merely that "the Norwegian people in this country may be properly recognized and respected. The Sons of Norway began as an all-male adult club, but as early as 1916 women could be admitted to male lodges where there was no branch of the female auxiliary, the Daughters of Norway. The male and female branches united in 1950, and in 1956 a system of junior lodges was introduced. The Sons also merged with or absorbed the Knights of the White Cross in 1940.
Degrees of the order
Første Grad (1st Degrees)