From “A Meeting Place: The History of The American Association for Public Opinion Research”, edited by Paul B. Sheatsley and Warren J. Mitofsky:

“The oldest regional group of AAPOR members to have local meetings is in the Washington-Baltimore area, where they began in the early 1950s, shortly after AAPOR was founded. In April 1953 Martin Kriesberg wrote to then-President Archibald Crossley requesting a charter for a D.C. chapter. Presumably because national AAPOR as yet had no provisions for local chapters, no charter was granted, but the group continued to meet on an informal basis for the next twenty years. It surged up and down in enthusiasm and membership, was “reactivated” in 1966, and finally, in the mid-1970s, ratified formal by-laws acceptable to the Council, which in 1977 proudly welcomed its “newest” member!

In its early years, Washington chapter meetings were held in the evenings, often at the Brookings Institution. With so many members living in suburbia, however, luncheon meetings attracted larger groups and they are now the established forum. Meetings usually include a preliminary get-together, a speaker, and a question period. Topics range widely, covering such things as current political attitudes, social programs, communications, methodology and potential or existing government regulations. Largest attendance was the Foreign Service club in 1978, when former AAPOR Presidents George Gallup and Archibald Crossley, invited as co-speakers to reminisce on the beginnings of public opinion research, passed lightly over their assigned topic and proceeded instead to discuss potential future directions.

The chapter had no formal dues for many years, expenses being met by tacking on a small fee to the luncheon price. In the mid-1980s, however, with rises in both postage and meal costs, an annual mailing fee of $3 was instituted.

Presidents of the chapter from its formalization through 1986 were Frank Bourne, Helen Crossley, John Martin, Hugh Parry, Tad Cantril, Ken Adler, Doris Northrup (Krug), John Robinson, Bernard Roshco, Betsy Martin, and Clyde Tucker.”

Executive Councils Through the Years

Note: The list of past executive councils has been compiled from a variety of sources. Please contact us with any corrections, or even better, additions!