Baala Shakya, Staff Photographer

On April 5, the Yale Political Union — the University’s oldest and largest debate society — celebrated its 90th anniversary with an alumni reunion at the Graduate Club, bringing together generations of debaters for an evening of memories, reflection and camaraderie.

The anniversary drew over 100 attendees, including about 40 alumni of the YPU’s seven constituent parties, which span the political spectrum from the Party of the Right to the Party of the Left. Over drinks and speeches, alumni swapped stories of debates past, revisited cherished Union traditions and reflected on the enduring role the YPU played in their Yale experiences.

Leo Greenberg ’26, current president of the YPU, described the weekend’s event as a testament to the Union’s staying power.

“It was quite powerful to hear the stories of these past Union leaders,” Greenberg told the News. “The more things change, the more things stay the same. Electoral machinations, guest cancellations and absurd speeches are clearly not new to the Union.”

Founded in 1934 by former University President Alfred Whitney Griswold ’29 GRD ’33, the YPU was modeled on the famous debating unions of Oxford and Cambridge and has served as Yale’s forum for political discussion and oratory.

Today, the YPU consists of seven political parties — Federalist, Conservative, Tory, Progressive, Independent, Party of the Right, and its newest addition, the Party of the Left. The Union holds a weekly parliamentary-style debate every Tuesday featuring prominent guest speakers, while each party organizes its own internal debates and social events throughout the semester.

The Union’s guest speakers over the decades have ranged from presidents to philosophers — among them Ronald Reagan, Joe Biden, Lady Bird Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Noam Chomsky and Theresa May, who spoke earlier this semester.

For Greenberg, the most striking takeaway was how deeply alumni remain committed to the YPU’s core mission of fostering spirited debate across ideological divides.

“It was quite endearing to see how committed these alums still are to some of the bedrock stuff we pride ourselves on: befriending people with radically different views, tackling big and pressing issues without fear and keeping traditions alive,” Greenberg said.

The YPU’s history has been shaped as much by its internal dramas as by the public figures it has hosted. From its founding during the Great Depression to its fraught debates over World War II isolationism, from its near-collapse in the 1970s to its explosion of membership under former YPU president Fareed Zakaria ’86, the Union has repeatedly reinvented itself while remaining a constant presence on campus.

In the 1980s, Union membership swelled to over 1,000 students — nearly a quarter of Yale’s undergraduate population — making it one of the most vibrant debating communities in the nation. Prominent alumni include conservative icon William F. Buckley Jr. ’50, former Secretary of State John Kerry ’66 and former National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy ’40.

Alumni and current students recalled both the contentious debates and unlikely friendships that defined their time in the Union at Saturday’s event.

Miles Kirkpatrick ’27, former YPU historian, emphasized the centrality of institutional memory to the Union’s identity.

“The YPU is a Yale institution, a fact best communicated by its history,” Kirkpatrick said. “Visions of the YPU’s past have sustained and motivated its members, giving us something to strive for in rough times.”

A former chair of the Progressive Party, Sean Pergola ’24 described the reunion as both nostalgic and affirming — evidence of an institution whose traditions, even after COVID disruptions, have been maintained.

Pergola noted how difficult and long recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic was, as the YPU atmosphere, with all of “its intricate traditions,” was difficult to translate into a “Zoom call.” They recalled the YPU feeling “a little anemic” during those years, and noted that it has taken a while for the organization to get back to its full strength.”

For Rek Lecounte ’11, a former member of the Independent Party, the Union offered not just ideological sparring but a rare community.

“Especially because I came in from a place — I’m an army brat from the South — not a lot of people from my background came here,” Lecounte reflected. “So it was a nice way to make friends.”

Lecounte, recalling one of his favorite YPU debates, pointed to a night with former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, who he remembered as making the audience “laugh as much as any guest ever did.”

For Alexander Martone ’10, who served as Union president during its 75th anniversary, the YPU was nothing less than a home at Yale.

Martone, a member of the Party of the Left during its early days, remembered a particularly vibrant period of debate and cross-party friendship during his time in the Union.

“There was a lot of energy and a lot of good debates, both at the Union level and at the party level,” Martone said. “A lot of friendships across the different parties.”

As the YPU looks ahead to its next chapter, Greenberg said he hopes the traditions celebrated on Saturday — and the community they foster — will endure.

“I am quite proud that so many alumni still think of the Union as a place which realizes its loftiest aspirations: open debate, the embrace of controversy and camaraderie which transcends political affiliation and ideology,” Greenberg said.

The Yale Political Union had 262 active voting members in Fall 2024.

Correction, April 9: Lecounte was a member of the Independent, not the Conservative Party.