# Links Club
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{{Short description|Private club in New York City}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2025}}
thumb|Links Club in November 2023
'''The Links''' is a [private club](/source/private_club) in [New York City](/source/New_York_City). It is located at 36 East 62nd Street on the [Upper East Side](/source/Upper_East_Side) of [Manhattan](/source/Manhattan) in New York City.[{{cite news|last1=Frank|first1=Robert|title=That Bright, Dying Star, the American WASP|url=https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748704414504575244622954114574|accessdate=January 21, 2016|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=May 15, 2010|archive-date=January 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127032559/http://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748704414504575244622954114574|url-status=live}}][{{cite news|last1=Gray|first1=Christopher|title=A Notable Block With a Hole in Its Heart|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/16/realestate/16scap.html?_r=0|accessdate=January 21, 2016|work=The New York Times|date=July 16, 2006|archive-date=May 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510104708/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/16/realestate/16scap.html?_r=0|url-status=live}}] [Charles B. Macdonald](/source/Charles_B._Macdonald), a golf champion and founder of the United States Golf Association, started the Links in 1917 as a place where powerful members of the golf world could keep the true spirit of the game alive.
The club has status under 501(c)(7) Social and Recreation Clubs; in 2024 it claimed $6,297,303 in total revenue and total assets of $7,769,211.[{{cite web |title=Financials for Links Club Inc |url=https://app.candid.org/profile/6941516/links-club-inc-13-5679670 |website=candid.org |publisher=Candid. |access-date=20 February 2026 |archive-date=8 December 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251208022338/https://app.candid.org/profile/6941516/links-club-inc-13-5679670 |url-status=live }}]
==History==
The club was established in 1916–1917 by [Charles B. Macdonald](/source/Charles_B._Macdonald), in a building designed in the [Georgian Revival architectural style](/source/Georgian_Revival_architecture) by [Cross & Cross](/source/Cross_%26_Cross).[{{cite book|last1=Dolkart|first1=Andrew|title=Guide to New York City Landmarks|date=1998|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|location=New York|isbn=9780471182894|oclc=36922554|page=155|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AwYcSFtdE_AC&dq=%22links+club%22+%22upper+east+side%22&pg=PA155|accessdate=January 21, 2016}}] In the 1960s, it was "a preferred social gathering spot for America's most powerful chief executives."[{{cite book|last1=Waterhouse|first1=Benjamin C.|title=Lobbying America: The Politics of Business from Nixon to NAFTA|date=2013|publisher=Princeton University Press|location=Princeton, New Jersey|isbn=9780691149165|oclc=867926037|pages=76–77|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wYuGAAAAQBAJ&dq=%22links+club%22+new+york&pg=PA76|accessdate=January 21, 2016}}] By 2010, it was still a "preserve of the old banking [elite](/source/elite)", but not all members were [WASPs](/source/White_Anglo-Saxon_Protestant).[
==Notable members in 1955 ==
Source:][{{cite news|date=October 1, 2012|title=The most powerful Club in the World|url=https://valuablebook.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/the-most-powerful-club-in-the-world-the-links/|publisher=Valuable Book Group|archive-date=August 7, 2022|access-date=August 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807060945/https://valuablebook.wordpress.com/2012/10/01/the-most-powerful-club-in-the-world-the-links/|url-status=live}}]
A sampling of members in 1955 is listed below:
===Government and diplomacy===
* [Dwight D. Eisenhower](/source/Dwight_D._Eisenhower), President of the United States
* [Winthrop W. Aldrich](/source/Winthrop_W._Aldrich), ambassador to Great Britain
* [Arthur A. Ballantine](/source/Arthur_A._Ballantine), Undersecretary of the Treasury and lawyer
* [Prescott S. Bush](/source/Prescott_S._Bush), U.S. Senator and father of President Bush (41)
* [Charles E. Daniel](/source/Charles_E._Daniel), U.S. Senator from South Carolina
* [Thomas E. Dewey](/source/Thomas_E._Dewey), governor of New York
* [C. Douglas Dillon](/source/C._Douglas_Dillon), U.S. ambassador to France, Future Secretary of the Treasury
* [Joseph E. Davies](/source/Joseph_E._Davies), U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union
* [Thomas S. Gates](/source/Thomas_S._Gates_Jr.), Jr., future U.S. Secretary of Defense
* [Walter S. Gifford](/source/Walter_S._Gifford), former chairman of A T & T, former Ambassador to the U.K.
* [Stanton Griffis](/source/Stanton_Griffis), U.S. ambassador to Poland, Egypt, Spain and Argentina
* [Amory Houghton](/source/Amory_Houghton), CEO, Corning Glass Works, future U.S. Congressman
* [George M. Humphrey](/source/George_M._Humphrey), Secretary of the Treasury
* [Herbert C. Hoover Jr.](/source/Herbert_C._Hoover_Jr.), son of the 31st President, Undersecretary of State and a member of the President's cabinet
* [John A. McCone](/source/John_A._McCone), future director of the C.I.A.
* [Jean Monnet](/source/Jean_Monnet), diplomat and founding father of the European Union
* [Winthrop Rockefeller](/source/Winthrop_Rockefeller), son of John D. Rockefeller and Governor of Arkansas
* [Sir William Wiseman](/source/Sir_William_Wiseman), British intelligence agent and banker
* [Cyrus R. Vance](/source/Cyrus_R._Vance), future U.S. Secretary of State
* [John Hay Whitney](/source/John_Hay_Whitney), future U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain
===Military===
* [Oscar C. Badger](/source/Oscar_C._Badger_II), a four-star admiral in the U.S. Navy
* [Ralph A. Bard](/source/Ralph_Austin_Bard), undersecretary of the U.S. Navy
* Dunbar W. Bostwick, lt. colonel, U.S. Army, helped organize Normandy invasion
* [Lucius D. Clay](/source/Lucius_D._Clay), U.S. general, Eisenhower deputy and "father" of the Berlin airlift
* [Robert A. Lovett](/source/Robert_A._Lovett), former U.S. Secretary of Defense
* [Paul Nitze](/source/Paul_Nitze), future Secretary of the Navy
* [Elwood R. Quesada](/source/Elwood_Richard_Quesada), lieutenant general, U.S.A.F.
* [Stanley R. Resor](/source/Stanley_Rogers_Resor), future U.S. Secretary of the Army
* [Kenneth Royall](/source/Kenneth_Claiborne_Royall), Army brigadier general, last person to serve as Secretary of War
* [James Hopkins Smith Jr.](/source/James_H._Smith_Jr.), U.S. Secretary of the Navy
* William Bedell Smith, Eisenhower's chief of staff in WWII, four-star general, former U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union and former C.I.A director
* [Harold E. Talbott](/source/Harold_E._Talbott), Secretary of the Air Force
* [James H. Doolittle](/source/Jimmy_Doolittle), U.S. general and famed aviator
===Industry===
* [Sewell L. Avery](/source/Sewell_L._Avery), chairman of Montgomery Ward
* [Stephen D. Bechtel](/source/Stephen_D._Bechtel) of the engineering and construction company
* [Sosthenes Behn](/source/Sosthenes_Behn), founder of ITT Corporation
* [Roger M. Blough](/source/Roger_M._Blough), president of U.S. Steel Corporation
* [Harold Boeschenstein](/source/Harold_Boeschenstein), chairman of Owens-Corning
* [Richard L. Bowditch](/source/Richard_L._Bowditch), chairman U.S. Chamber of Commerce
* [H.S.M. Burns](/source/H.S.M._Burns), British president of Shell Oil Company
* [Louis S. Cates](/source/Louis_S._Cates), Chairman of Phelps Dodge
* [Owen R. Cheatham](/source/Owen_R._Cheatham), chairman of Georgia Pacific Corporation
* [Colby M. Chester](/source/Colby_M._Chester), chairman of General Foods Corporation
* [Hugh J. Chisholm](/source/Hugh_J._Chisholm), president of International Paper
* [George H. Coppers](/source/George_H._Coppers), chairman of Nabisco
* [Cleo F. Craig](/source/Cleo_F._Craig), president of AT&T
* [Walter F. Dillingham](/source/Walter_F._Dillingham), “the Baron of Hawaiian Industry”
* [Richard R. Depree](/source/Richard_R._Depree), president of Procter & Gamble
* [Benjamin F. Fairless](/source/Benjamin_F._Fairless), CEO of U.S. Steel
* [Henry Ford II](/source/Henry_Ford_II), president of the Ford Motor Company
* [J. Peter Grace Jr.](/source/J._Peter_Grace_Jr.), Grace Chemical CEO
* [Augustus C. Long](/source/Augustus_C._Long), CEO of Texaco
* [Henry R. Luce](/source/Henry_R._Luce), publisher of Time Magazine
* [Joseph H. McConnell](/source/Joseph_H._McConnell), former president of NBC
* [George W. Merck](/source/George_W._Merck), president of Merck pharmaceuticals
* [Roger Milliken](/source/Roger_Milliken), CEO of Milliken textiles
* [Morehead Patterson](/source/Morehead_Patterson), chairman of AMF
* [G. Willing Pepper](/source/G._Willing_Pepper), president of the Scott Paper Company
* [Gwilym A. Price](/source/Gwilym_A._Price), president of Westinghouse
* [Edgar Monsanto Queeny](/source/Edgar_Monsanto_Queeny), chairman of Monsanto Corporation
* [Donald J. Russell](/source/Donald_J._Russell), future CEO of Southern Pacific Railroad
* [Sidney A. Swensrud](/source/Sidney_A._Swensrud), chairman Gulf Oil
* [Walter C. Teagle](/source/Walter_C._Teagle), retired chairman of Standard Oil
* [Thomas J. Watson Jr.](/source/Thomas_J._Watson_Jr.), president of IBM
* [Charles E. Wilson](/source/Charles_Edward_Wilson_(businessman)), former president of General Electric
===Finance===
* [Norborne Berkeley](/source/Norborne_Berkeley_(banker)), president of Chemical Bank
* [Edward Eagle Brown](/source/Edward_Eagle_Brown), chairman of the First National Bank of Chicago
* [Paul C. Cabot](/source/Paul_C._Cabot), founded State Street Corporation and started the first mutual fund
* [Asa V. Call](/source/Asa_V._Call), president of Pacific Mutual Life Insurance Company
* [Jean Cattier](/source/Jean_Cattier), Partner at White Weld & Co, and Chairman of the European American Bank[{{cite book |last=Domhoff |first=G. William |year=1974 |url=https://whorulesamerica.ucsc.edu/power/bohemian_grove_appendix.pdf |title=The Bohemian Grove and Other Retreats: A Study in Ruling-Class Cohesiveness |location=New York |publisher=Harper & Row |page=136 |isbn=9780060903954 |archive-date=2025-05-26 |access-date=2025-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250526071742/https://whorulesamerica.ucsc.edu/power/bohemian_grove_appendix.pdf |url-status=live }}]
* [George Champion](/source/George_Champion_(banker)), chairman, Chase Manhattan Bank
* [J. Luther Cleveland](/source/J._Luther_Cleveland), chairman of the Guaranty Trust Company
* [S. Sloan Colt](/source/S._Sloan_Colt), president of the Bankers Trust Company
* [Isaac B. Grainger](/source/Isaac_B._Grainger), president of Chemical Bank and future president U.S.G.A.
* [Benjamin H. Griswold III](/source/Benjamin_H._Griswold_III), chairman of Alex, Brown
* [E. Roland Harriman](/source/E._Roland_Harriman), co-founder of Brown Brothers Harriman
* [Devereux C. Josephs](/source/Devereux_C._Josephs), chairman of the Board New York Life Insurance
* [John J. McCloy](/source/John_J._McCloy), future chairman, Chase Manhattan Bank, President World Bank
* [Henry S. Morgan](/source/Henry_S._Morgan), grandson of J.P. Morgan and co-founder of Morgan Stanley
* [Ralph Owen](/source/Ralph_Owen), chairman of American Express
* [Elmore C. Patterson](/source/Elmore_C._Patterson), future CEO of J.P. Morgan
* [Ralph T. Reed](/source/Ralph_T._Reed), future CEO of American Express
* [David Rockefeller](/source/David_Rockefeller), future chairman of the Chase Manhattan Bank
* [J. Stillman Rockefeller](/source/J._Stillman_Rockefeller), president National City Bank
* [Howard C. Sheperd](/source/Howard_C._Sheperd), chairman of National City Bank
* [Harold Stanley](/source/Harold_Stanley), co-founder of Morgan Stanley
* [Dean Witter](/source/Dean_Witter), founder of Dean Witter investment firm
===Aircraft and aviation===
* [William E. Boeing](/source/William_E._Boeing), founder of the Boeing Airplane Company
* [F. Trubee Davison](/source/F._Trubee_Davison), WWI Naval Aviator
* [Robert E. Gross](/source/Robert_E._Gross_(businessman)), president of Lockheed Aircraft
* [Frederick B. Rentschler](/source/Frederick_B._Rentschler), chairman of Pratt & Whitney Aircraft
* [Edward V. Rickenbacker](/source/Edward_V._Rickenbacker), World War I ace pilot
* [Leon A. Swirbul](/source/Leon_A._Swirbul), founder of Grumman Aircraft
===Inheritance===
* [Marshall Field](/source/Marshall_Field), heir to the department store fortune
* [James H. McGraw Jr.](/source/James_H._McGraw_Jr.), heir to the book publishing company
* [Paul Mellon](/source/Paul_Mellon), heir to the Mellon banking fortune and philanthropist
* [Howard Phipps](/source/Howard_Phipps), heir to the Carnegie Steel partner Henry Phipps Jr.
* [Joseph N. Pew](/source/Joseph_N._Pew), heir to Sun Oil fortune, co-founder of the Pew Charitable Trusts
* [J. Watson Webb](/source/J._Watson_Webb_Jr.), film maker and heir to the Vanderbilt fortune
===Golf and other pursuits===
* [Morton G. Bogue](/source/Morton_G._Bogue), former president of the U.S.G.A.
* [C. Suydam Cutting](/source/C._Suydam_Cutting), explorer
* [Donald K. David](/source/Donald_K._David), dean of the Harvard Business School
* [Arthur H. Dean](/source/Arthur_H._Dean), chairman of the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell
* [Childs Frick](/source/Childs_Frick), paleontologist and son of Steel magnate Henry Clay Frick
* [Totton P. Heffelfinger](/source/Totton_P._Heffelfinger), president of the U.S.G.A.
* [Eugene V. Homans](/source/Eugene_V._Homans). Bobby Jones defeated Homans at Merion to win the grand slam in 1930
* [Roger D. Lapham](/source/Roger_D._Lapham), Mayor of San Francisco and co-founder of Cypress Point Club
* [Robert Montgomery](/source/Robert_Montgomery_(actor)), actor
* [Alfred Easton Poor](/source/Alfred_Easton_Poor), architect
* [Roland L. Redmond](/source/Roland_L._Redmond), president Metropolitan Museum of Art
* [Archie M. Reid](/source/Archie_M._Reid), secretary of the U.S.G.A.
* [Clifford Roberts](/source/Clifford_Roberts), co-founder of Augusta National Golf Club
===Other===
*[Jack C. Massey](/source/Jack_C._Massey)[{{cite news|title=Business Legend Jack Massey Dies|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/298888555/?terms=%22Jack%2BC.%2BMassey%22|accessdate=December 17, 2017|work=The Palm Beach Daily News|date=February 16, 1990|pages=1; 4|via=[Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)|url-access=subscription|archive-date=February 26, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226230931/https://www.newspapers.com/image/298888555/?terms=%22Jack%2BC.%2BMassey%22|url-status=live}}]
===1955 members featured on the cover of Time Magazine ===
Source: