History of Club:
In November of 1947, five young men founded The Royal Esquire Club “to promote social and civic betterment in the community, city, state and country.” The founders were; Doyle Barner, Fredrick Bowmar, Williams Childress, Freddie Ray and Joe West.
In January of 1948 they held the first general assembly and election of officers. Member John Primm, a prominent black attorney drafted the initial by-laws and submitted them to the Secretary of State.
The Royal Esquire Club was charted by the State of Washington in April of 1948 with 27 members. Today, there are 118 regular members and more than 2,000 social members.
With the purchase of its first location at 14th and Washington in 1952, The Royal Esquire Club became a force in the central community, with support of youth activities and charitable contributions as primary functions. The club was a charter member of the Jackson Street Community council; a life member of the NAACP; and the initial sole sponsor of the International Little League, which has fostered many junior athletic programs.
In 1963, The Royal Esquire Club obtained a “Class H” private club liquor license after 15 years of applications. A caravan of members traveled to Olympia and marched to the Governors mansion 30 days prior to the effective date of the license, this may have influenced the Liquor Control board’s decision.
The Club moved to 5016 Rainier Avenue South in 1986. Many community based social, civic and youth organizations meet here on a regular basis. The wives, widows and companions of the Regular Members of the club formed the Women’s Auxiliary in 1992. The Women’s Auxiliary was a social and civic force in the community and it disbanded in 2011.
Six decades of service to the community has earned the club the reputation of being “The finest of its kind West of the Mississippi”.
Check out Seattlechannels story on The Royal Esquire Club.
Community Stories: The Royal Esquire Club 1/28/2007
http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos/video.asp?ID=3170614
Club Song: “For Members Only”, By Bobby Blue Bland
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_ns18S7gHM&feature=player_embedded
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