THE TORY
party
The Tory Party at Yale shoulders the difficult role of promoting conservatism at an overwhelmingly liberal university. We provide a space for frank, intellectual debate: all are welcome, but all views are subject to thoughtful rigor. Our wonderful history and traditions forge close, lasting friendships, and Tory events highlight members’ weeks. First and foremost a political and debating organization, we value weighty argument, but blend levity into our quest. In merriment, we toast, we sing, we throw banquets. Put simply, our Party is not afraid to party.
Recently, the Tory Party has debated the following resolutions:
Resolved: Liberty Needs an Iron Fist
Resolved: One Nation Under God
Resolved: Too Big to Fail is Too Big to Exist
Resolved: The Nuclear Family is too Progressive
Resolved: Separate the Art from the Artist
To learn more about the Tory Party, visit their website.
To attend a Tory Party debate, reach out to Chief Whip David Dumontet (david.dumontet@yale.edu)
The Tory Party was born out of conspiracy, gambling, and grit. The campus climate of the 1960s was a tumultuous, dark time for conservatives at Yale, with growing militancy and leftism. The two parties on the right at Yale were right-leaning in name only, leaving true conservatives without a political home. A truly conservative wing formed in the Party of the Right and, by 1969, it was clear a schism would soon occur. On April 29th, 1969, fifteen of these new “Traditionalists” met in the Saybrook Common Room, electing Edward Thomas Veal Chairman of a new Tory Party.
In the mid-1970s, as the new Tory Party gathered its footing, Michael Astrue became the first Tory to win the Political Union presidency, on a tie-breaking coin toss; Tory domination of the Y.P.U. in 1977 helped secure the Party’s position. The Tory Party, as we know it today, had survived much chaos after perseverance, a bit of luck, and commitment to an ideal. The Party continues to thrive to this day, with continued reverence for our courageous founders and celebration of a rich history.
