Thomas Jefferson Chapter Constitution and By-Laws
Thomas Jefferson Chapter, Virginia Society
Sons of the American Revolution
Constitution
Article 1.- Name
The name of this chapter shall be the "Thomas Jefferson Chapter, Virginia Society, Sons of the American Revolution."
Article II.- Purposes and Objectives
The Purposes and objectives of this chapter are declared to be
patriotic, historical, and educational, and shall include those
intended or designed.
A. To perpetuate the memory of the men who, by their services
or sacrifices during the War of the American Revolution,
achieved the independence of the American People;
B. To unite and promote fellowship among the descendants of
these men;
C. To inspire the members of this chapter and the community at
large with a more profound reference for the principles of the
government founded by our forefathers;
D. To encourage historical research pertaining to the American
Revolution;
E. To promote the acquisition and preservation of records of the
individual services of patriots in that war, and to safeguard
documents, relics, and landmarks associated with it;
F. To encourage the designation by appropriate markers of the
sites of important events in the American Revolution.
G. To foster by dignified and appropriate means the observance
of the anniversaries of significant events of the Revolutionary
period;
H. To cultivate the spirit of true patriotism;
I. To maintain and extend the institutions of American
Freedom;
J. To achieve the purposes expressed in the preamble to the
Constitution of the United States and the foster respect for the
principles enunciated by President George Washington in his
farewell address to the American people.
Article II1.- Membership
Section 1.
Any man eighteen years of age or older and of good
repute in the community shall be eligible for election to
membership in this chapter,
A. Provided that he is a lineal descendant of an ancestor
who was at all times unfailingly loyal to the cause of
American independence and who rendered active service
in the furtherance thereof
1. As an officer, soldier, seaman, marine, militia
man, or minute man in the armed forces of the
Continental Congress or of any of the several
colonies; or
2. As a signer of the Declaration of Independence; or
3. As a member of a Committee of Safety or
Correspondence; or
4. As a member of any Continental, Provincial, or
Colonial Congress or Legislature; or
5. As a recognized patriot who performed actual
overt acts of resistance to the authority of Great
Britain; And
B. Provided further that no person advocating the
overthrow of the Government of the United States by the
use of force or violence shall be eligible for membership
in this chapter.
Section II.
Any person becoming a member of this chapter shall
by virtue of so doing at the same time become a member
of the Virginia Society and of the National Society, and he
shall be subject to all the rules and regulations of these
Societies.
Article IV.- Officers and Board of Managers
Section I.
The officers of this chapter shall be a President, a Vice
President , a Corresponding Secretary, a Recording
Secretary, a Membership Secretary, a Treasurer, a
Registrar, an Historian, a Chaplain, a Chancellor, and a
Surgeon.
These members shall be elected at a regular meeting of the
chapter, normally in October, and they shall serve for one year,
being the next calendar year.
No person shall serve as President for more than two
consecutive terms.
If any office except of that of President becomes vacant, the vacancy shall be filled by the Board of Managers for the unexpired portion of that term.
If the office of President becomes vacant, the Vice President shall automatically succeed to the office of President and the office of Vice President shall be filled by the Board of Managers for the unexpired portion of that term.
Section II.
There should be a Board of Managers for this Chapter,
consisting of the foregoing (11) eleven officers and six (6)
additional compatriot members. The six (6) additional compatriot members shall be elected at the same regular meeting as the officers, normally in
October, and their term of office shall be co-terminus with that of the eleven (11) officers prescribed in section 1 above.
The Board of Managers shall
A. Have general supervision over, and responsibility for,
the activities of this Chapter.
B. Act on all requests to be considered for membership in
this Chapter.
C. Perform such other functions as may be assigned to it
by the Chapter.
D. The Board of Managers may fill any vacancy occurring
within its own membership for the unexpired portion of the
term of that member by reason of whose death, resignation, or
incapacity the vacancy may have arisen.
Article V. - Meetings
Section I.
There shall normally be five (5) meetings of the Chapter
each year. In February, April, June, October, and December.
Special meetings may be held at any time on call of the
President or of the Board of Managers.
The October meeting shall normally be the occasion for
election of officers and members of the Board of Managers,
and the December meeting shall be the occasion for the
ceremony of installation. Twenty (20) members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the Chapter.
Section II.
Meetings of the Board of Managers shall normally be held
between meetings of the Chapter, at a time and place appointed
by the President. Additional meetings of the Board of Managers
may be held at any time on call of the President or by request,
addressed to the Recording Secretary in writing, or any three
(3) members of the Board.
Article VI. - Conduct of Meetings
Roberts Rules of Order, as most recently revised, shall be the guide for the conduct of business at all meetings of the Chapter.
Article VII.- Amendments
Amendments to this Constitution may be offered at any meeting of the Chapter, but action may not be taken until a subsequent meeting.
Action may be taken on no amendment until after it has been considered by the Board of Managers, which may report on it favorably or unfavorably, may recommend changes, or may return it to the Chapter without recommendation. Such consideration must be given by the Board of Managers to any proposed amendment before the second meeting of the Chapter after the meeting at which the amendment was offered.
1. Amendments will be presented for action to the first meeting of the Chapter after they have been considered by the Board of Managers, and the text of each proposed amendment, along with the text of any changes that may have been recommended
by the Board of Managers, shall be sent to each member with the notice of the meeting to be postmarked not fewer than fifteen (15) days prior to the date of the meeting.
2. The affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the members present at the meeting shall be necessary for the adoption of any amendment.
Article VIII.- Dissolution or Termination
In the event of the termination or dissolution of this Chapter, in any manner or for any reason whatsoever, its assets, after payment or after making provision for the payment of all its debts and the discharge of all its liabilities, shall revert to the
Virginia Society, Sons of the American Revolution.
