The origin of Junior Chamber can be traced as far back as 1910 to St. Louis, Missouri where Henry Giessenbier and 32 friends formed the Herculaneum Dance Club, with the purpose of bringing about the social elevation of its members. The organization experienced explosive growth reaching over 750 members in less than five months.
Six years later, in 1916, the organization changed its name to Junior Citizens, commonly called JCs. 1918 marked another change as the JCs were affiliated with the St. Louis Chamber of Commerce and officially became the St. Louis Junior Chamber of Commerce.
After WWI, Giessenbier contacted other cities with similar groups and formed the United States Junior Chamber. In 1923 the Winnipeg Board of Trades became the first Junior Chamber outside the United States. By 1928 the idea of an international Junior Chamber crossed the Atlantic to England.
In 1940 a resolution was passed by the U.S. Junior Chamber approving a program to further mutual interests among countries in Central and South America. This led to the establishment of Junior Chamber International (JCI) with organizations on 5 continents.
In April of 1954, the Milford chapter started the Shelton Jaycees. Our chapter has been making a difference in Shelton ever since. |
