Marquette, MI - March 1, 1916

The Rotary Club of Marquette, Charter number 204, was founded on March 1, 1916, first in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Frank J. Jennison, cashier of the Marquette (Union) National Bank, is credited with bringing Rotary to Marquette.

On November 9, 1915, Allen D. Albert of Minneapolis, international president of Rotary, wrote to Frank Jennison and appointed him to form a local organizational committee. In this letter of appointment, President Albert cautioned Jennison's Marquette committee to select prospective members carefully, to make sure that they were associated with reputable businesses, that they were capable of close friendships, and that they could express the larger spiritual element which had accounted for the rise in Rotary.

The original club that was selected to sponsor Marquette was Bay City, MI but it was discovered that it was not in District 9 so the call went out to Superior & Duluth, with Superior chosen for the honors of sponsoring the new club.