HOULTON, Maine — After more than a century of male dominance, women are becoming commonplace in one of the state’s oldest fraternal organizations.
On April 1, Elizabeth Grant was sworn in as the newest exalted ruler for the Houlton Lodge. It marks the first time in the 119-year history of the Houlton Lodge of Elks No. 835 that a woman has been elected to its highest post.
Grant takes over the post previously held by Phil Cloney, who died unexpectedly Jan. 27 in his home.
Grant is one of eight women statewide serving as elected exalted rulers for 2022-23. There are 20 lodges in Maine spanning from Presque Isle to York with approximately 10,000 members. Nationwide, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks was founded in 1868 and for more than 100 years was a men-only fraternity. The first Elks group was formed in New York by Charles Algernon Sidney Vivian, a singer and entertainer with roots in London. Elks lodges began allowing women in 1995.
A number of United States presidents including Warren Harding, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John Kennedy and Gerald Ford were all members of the fraternity.
Presque Isle Elks Lodge No. 1954, Aroostook County’s only other Elks Lodge, also has a woman who is exalted ruler — Patricia Lovely.
As the newest exalted ruler, Grant said her role is to carry on the proud tradition of Elks in the Houlton community, while also growing its membership. The Houlton Lodge has about 500 members, with 38 of those being women.
Comparatively, the Presque Isle Elks, which has a total of 376 members, has 97 women in its membership. The Presque Isle lodge has had seven women exalted rulers since Mary Dickinson was the first one in 2005.
While Grant acknowledged the historical significance of her elected position, she said she did not feel any additional pressure to perform her duties.
“I don’t consider the Elks to be male or female,” she said. “To me, everyone is a member. People have been very supportive of me. All of our past exalted rulers have offered their support, which is nice to see.”
Women were unofficially included as members of “women’s auxiliaries” or more commonly referred to as “Lady Elks” for many years.
But all that changed in 1995 when the group started allowing women into its membership. It took a bit longer for the Houlton fraternity to start welcoming women. Grant said women have only been included for about the past 10 years.
“One of my goals is to increase membership, both male and female, and to maintain the membership we have,” Grant said. “My role as the Exalted Ruler is to enforce and perform duties required by the Laws of the Order and the By-Laws of the Lodge. The ER appoints all committees and has general supervision over all matters pertaining to the Lodge.”
Investing in the community through programs that help children grow healthy and drug-free is one of the group’s major focuses, she said. The Houlton Elks Lodge also works to meet the needs of veterans, and improve the quality of life for the people in the communities.
“Maine Elks take great pride in giving back to our communities, supporting local charities, and living up to our motto of Elks Care–Elks Share,” Grant said.
One of the Elks’ major projects is The Maine Children’s Cancer Program, a comprehensive treatment center for children diagnosed with cancer and blood disorders. Each year, Elk Lodges raise between $200,000 and $300,000 to help children and their families meet the challenge of fighting cancer, she said.
In addition to that project, they also are involved in many youth programs including a hoop shoot and soccer shoot contests, awarding scholarships, hosting an Americanism Essay Contest and working with police on drug awareness programs. The Houlton lodge also is involved with the Elks National Foundation, which helps Elks build stronger communities, Grant said.
Michael Hannigan, a former exalted ruler for the Houlton Lodge, said Grant was the perfect candidate to take over the position.
“It is an important milestone, but more importantly, she is the right person for the job,” Hanningan said. “She did not get the position because she was female. She worked very hard, side-by-side with our former exalted ruler. I think she is going to do a great job.”