After the Fraternity was established in 1906, it took almost a score of years for it to be chartered in Florida. The first chapter to be chartered in Florida was Upsilon Lambda Chapter in Jacksonville on December 30, 1925. The charter members were Brothers R.W. Butler, R.P. Crawford, A. St. G. Richardson, Jr., L.A. McGee, Rudolph Gordon, Robert Lynon, and T.E. Morris. Those Brothers were identified as some of the most representative professional men in the city.
Twelve years later in 1937, two alumni chapters were chartered in Florida. They were Beta Beta Lambda Chapter in Miami on November 19, and Beta Delta Lambda Chapter in Daytona Beach on December 27. These two chapters were the only alumni chapters the Fraternity chartered in 1937.
Beta Beta Lambda charter members were Brothers Felix E. Butler, Nathaniel Colston, Ira P. Davis, Frederick J. Johnson, Leo A. Lucas, Aaron W. Goodwin, and William H. Murrell. Beta Delta Lambda’s charter members were Brothers H. Ernest Bartley, James A. Colston, Ernest Dyett, Charles J. Greene, J. Seth Hills, Harold W. McCoo, Preston S. Peterson and Abram L. Simpson. Those Brothers were community leaders.
Brother Jewel Charles H. Chapman took the leadership in getting the first college chapter chartered. He was assisted by illustrious Brothers R. O’Hara Lanier, E. E. Ware and J.L. Langhorn. They were faculty members at Florida A&M College. It was chartered on April 23, 1932. The charter members were Douglas W. Greene, Noah H. Bennett, Frank E. Pinder, Jr., Samuel 0. Cohen, John W. Williams, James Pinckney, Jubye B. Bragg, Jr., Jerome E. Matthews, William M. Debose, William W. Weatherpool, and Lincoln Bliss Childs. They were leaders and scholars on the campus.
The growth of college chapters in the District was very slow. Delta Beta Chapter was established at Bethune Cookman College on April 21, 1948. This was 16 years after the first college chapter was established.
A proposal was made at the Forty-fifth General Convention of the Fraternity in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1959 to endorse the idea of states to hold conferences. It was reported that the Brothers in Virginia had held several, and the most recent one was in Richmond. They had been well attended and effective. Those Brothers laid a foundation for their mutual benefit and to enhance the General Organization and society in general.
The Fraternity’s Constitution gave approval to this concept in Article III. However, districts do not have any legislative powers, and they can not be in conflict with the Fraternity’s Constitution or the Region’s Constitution. In the 1980s, there were states which did not have many chapters. Hence, the term “district” was substituted for state. A district could include more than one state or area. An example is that the District of Florida includes the Bahamas Islands and the Virgin Islands.
The District Directors are responsible for guiding chapters and Brothers in the operation of the Fraternity. If activities are not carried out according to the Constitution and By-Laws, and the principles and policies of the Fraternity, the District Director is to steer the chapters and Brothers in the right direction and inform the Region Vice President of such activities, and make recommendations, if needed. The District Director is to make an annual report to the Region Vice President and the chapters.