Sigma Alpha Epsilon was founded on March 9th, 1856, at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Founding members of the fraternity were Nobel Lesie DeVotie, Nathan Cockrell, John Rudulph, John Kerr, Samuel Dennis, Wade Foster, Abner Patton, and Thomas Cook. DeVotie who was leader of the fraternity, designed the ritual, created the grip, and choose the name of the fraternity. Rudulph on the other hand, designed the badge. In 1858, Sigma Alpha Epsilon had its first national convention in Murfreesboro, Tennessee where four out of eight chapters at that time were in attendance. Then from 1856 up until the Civil war, Sigma Alpha Epsilon grew to about 15 Chapters in total. With the onset of the war, many of these original chapters were dissolved as many of the men went to participate in the war. In 1865, with the fraternity fading into the sunset, the University of Georgia and University of Virginia managed to revive the fraternity and reestablish its name. With these revived chapters, Sigma Alpha Epsilon held its first convention after the war in Nashville, Tennessee in 1867. Soon after, the fraternity continued to grow seeing its first Northern chapter established at Pennsylvania College (Now Gettysburg College) in 1883. The second Northern chapter was established at the University of Mount Union in 1885. From there the fraternity exploded as new chapters popped up all across the United States. In 1894, William Collin "Billy" Levere was initiated at Northwestern University. He matured the fraternity and brought high hopes for the future. After his death in 1927, the fraternity's Supreme Council built and dedicated a new headquarters in Levere's name.