The Union League Club of Chicago has been named the top city club in Chicago and was ranked number two in the United States in a recent survey by Club Leaders Forum.
Club Leaders Forum surveyed more than 6,000 of the nation’s club managers and presidents. The Union League Club of Chicago, named a Platinum Club by the publication, is among the top four percent of America’s 5,000 private clubs in terms of perceived excellence. The criteria used to rank the clubs are quality of membership, tradition and heritage, amenities, governance, and professional management and staff.
Three of the top 10 city clubs in the United States are in Chicago. The Chicago Club and the University Club of Chicago were ranked numbers five and six, respectively, in the same survey, Union League Club COO Jonathan McCabe said.
"Clubs are ranked both regionally and nationally. The Union League Club received nine times as many votes for the national ranking as it did for the regional ranking," said John Sibbald, publisher of Club Leaders Forum. "This shows that there is a nationwide awareness of the Union League Club of Chicago."
According to Club President Michael Chioros, "The Union League Club consistently strives to fulfill its motto of ‘commitment to community and country.’"
"For nearly 125 years, the Club has been the place in Chicago where its members have gathered to lay the groundwork for important civic projects and social and philanthropic undertakings," explained Chioros. "The Club’s members have served as catalysts for nonpartisan action in the governmental, political, economic and social arenas—focusing leadership and resources on important issues."
The Union League Club was established in 1879 "to uphold the sacred obligations of citizenship, to promote honesty and efficiency in government and to support cultural institutions and the beautification of the city." Union League Club members were instrumental in having Chicago selected by Congress to host the World Columbian Exposition in 1893. Club members played a role in the establishment of the Art Institute of Chicago in the late 1800s and, more recently in the 1990s, the Harold Washington Library. In the past two years, the Club has been a major voice in the debate over expansion of O’Hare International Airport and an advocate for a moratorium on the death penalty in the state of Illinois.
"Since its founding, the Union League Club remains true to its mission of honoring our country’s heroes," said Chioros. "For example, the Chicago 502 and 721 Clubs, organizations sponsored by the Club, are dedicated to supporting military personnel and families of the 502nd U.S. Army Infantry Regiment and the U.S. Navy’s USS Chicago (721), a nuclear-powered attack submarine."
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