Ulysses S. Grant, Independent Order of Odd Fellows

18th US President and famed Union general Ulysses S. Grant was an Odd Fellow.

That is, he belonged to a society known as the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

This fraternal order has its roots in early modern Europe and was an offshoot off of England's Odd Fellows. The American version of the organization was officially founded in 1819 in Baltimore. The order focused on charitable causes and eventually admitted both men and women as members.

According to "The General’s Wife: The Life of Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant," Grant, who struggled with drinking at times, joined the Order after his wife became pregnant with their second child.

"The Papers of U.S. Grant" feature an invitation from the Order asking then-President Grant to attend its 50th anniversary celebration in Philadelphia in 1869.