SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI

The Society of the Cincinnati was formed in 1783 by officers of the Continental Army. Membership was limited to officers that served in the Continental Army and also included officers in the French Army that assisted the Continentals, and the eldest male descendents of both. The society was named after the Roman dictator Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus who had assumed total control of Rome to meet a war emergency. When the battle was won he returned control to the senate and went back to plowing his fields. Cincinnati, Ohio was named for him. George Washington was the first national president of the society. This organization still exists today. It has about 3500 members in one French and 13 U.S. branches (representing the original states).

Info from Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia