Who We Are

The Esquire XIII Fraternity has a long and storied history that brings us to today. On November 4, 1955, the Dean of Students, Dr. James C. Nelson, sanctioned the Esquire Club as a social club on the campus of Virginia State College – now Virginia State University.

Esquire's first presence on Hampton Institute now Hampton University evolved in 1980 from a Charter Line of nine brothers from the NY, NJ, and Philadelphia area revered as "The Nasty Nine". The first known designation of ESQ XIII was at Fort Valley State College – now University – in the fall of 1965. On February 6, 1978, the Esquire Social Clubs at several HBCU campuses recognized our common purpose and elected to change their charter to Esquire Social Service Fellowship. In 1981 Esquire incorporated as Esquire XIII Fraternity Incorporated. 

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Throughout our history as a Brotherhood, we stood out on campus as distinctly diverse and unique, and we were commonly known as fashionable brothers. Our fresh appearance, professional decorum, and allegiance to the group’s guiding principles set the brotherhood apart from other organizations. The XIII virtues that made our group so distinguished are: loyalty, integrity, intelligence, sociability, respect, service, elegance, courage, wisdom, ambition, ingenuity, culture, and divinity. These virtues ensured our brothers worked diligently for the benefit of one another, our university, and all humankind.   

After a period of dormancy, the Esquire XIII Fraternity Revitalization Board was formed in 2017. This was the beginning of a new era of our fraternity that honors our historical roots while incorporating the best practices of today. Just as the phoenix rose from its ashes, we are back on the block! 

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With the brotherhood’s revitalization, we aim to focus on community service and building leadership experience for our new brothers. In this new paradigm, we wish to create an opportunity for young, aspiring men to become academically successful gentlemen. We believe respect, decorum, and dedication to our fraternity virtues should shape the bonds built between brothers as they learn about Esquire XIII, complete initiation, and later work to change the world for the better. 

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Working through the pandemic, we chartered two chapters. On April 10th, 2023, the Hampton Roads Alumni Chapter was incorporated to support the revitalization of future Chapters in Richmond, Petersburg, the DMV, Virginia State, Hampton, and Norfolk State Universities. In recognition and gratitude, we proudly recognize the Vogue XIII Sorority as our official sisterhood and our Essence Sweetheart Court for their devotion. Through all our joys and pains, these outstanding women have supported us every step of the way. They are why we live up to our motto, “Be Ye Always a Gentlemen.”