Mission
The purpose of this Society is to promote and foster the spirit of Clan MacKinnon, to provide a focal point and means for expressing MacKinnon sentiment, and to aid members in establishing and maintaining contact with each other and with others of Scottish heritage. Society membership encourages, promotes, educates, and supports the preservation of Scottish and MacKinnon history, tradition, and cultural activities.
The Society
Clan MacKinnon Society is headquartered in the United States. We show fealty to our chief in Great Britain, Madam Anne Gunhild MacKinnon of MacKinnon, who named Stephen MacKinnon (of Massachusetts, USA) her representative. Explore our history and learn more about Clan MacKinnon.
Clan MacKinnon Society is led by a Board of Directors who meet via Zoom on a monthly basis and in person every two years at a general meeting to discuss the direction and future of the Society. The Board is guided by a set of bylaws voted upon by our membership (download a copy below). To help advance our charitable and educational goals, Clan MacKinnon Society was granted 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in the United States. Learn more about the leadership of Clan MacKinnon Society here.
Clan MacKinnon Society is led by a Board of Directors who meet via Zoom on a monthly basis and in person every two years at a general meeting to discuss the direction and future of the Society. The Board is guided by a set of bylaws voted upon by our membership (download a copy below). To help advance our charitable and educational goals, Clan MacKinnon Society was granted 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in the United States. Learn more about the leadership of Clan MacKinnon Society here.
By the Numbers
As of October 2020, we boast 353 memberships (accounting for 605 people since some of these memberships include partners and children). We have members in 14 countries around the world, and 40 states in the USA. Countries where you can find the largest concentration of Clan MacKinnon Society members are: USA, France, Belgium, Canada, and Germany. U.S. states with the largest concentration of members are: Washington State, California, Texas, Tennessee, and Minnesota. Help us grow our membership and worldwide reach! Become a member today!
Our Society History
On December 22, 1891, at a meeting held in the Waterloo Rooms in Glasgow, Clan MacKinnon Society was born. Twenty-five clansmen were present at that first meeting. During subsequent early Society meetings the matter of who held the Chiefship of Clan MacKinnon was raised. In response to these concerns, Mr. Duncan MacKinnon, then Chairmen of the Society, advertised for claimants to the Chiefship twice in the Oban Times. No one came forward, so William Alexander MacKinnon of Kent, whose father had been recognized Chief of Clan MacKinnon by the Lord Lyon in 1811, was declared by the Society to be the recognized Chief of the Clan.
The Society grew rapidly during the years around the turn of the century. At its founding the purpose of Clan MacKinnon Society was understood to be: the fostering of Clan sentiment, cultivation of social intercourse among members, assistance to members, encouragement of education, the collection and preservation of Clan records and traditions, and promoting support of Celtic literature and Highland arts and industries.
Sadly, during the 1960s, Society enrollment markedly declined as the membership aged. In 1975, Clan MacKinnon Society in the United Kingdom closed its books. Around this time, however, Mrs. N. Joann MacKinnon Osborne in the United States began investigating the possible establishment of a Clan MacKinnon Society in the Americas. Joanne and her brother, Clinton MacKinnon, contacted Neil MacKinnon of MacKinnon, then Chief of the Clan, for permission to found a society. The Chief graciously gave their endeavor his blessing and requested that Clinton act as his Representative. By 1980, Clan MacKinnon Society of North America was constituted; two years later it boasted some 57 members.
During a meeting, attended by the Representative of the Chief and some 20 clansmen in Pleasanton, California in 2005, the spirit of Clan MacKinnon Society of North America was affirmed and the heritage of Clan MacKinnon Society of the United Kingdom acknowledged. At that meeting it was decided that a new constitution was required, a new board of directors was elected, and the Society’s goals expanded.
Clan MacKinnon Society is now striving to unite MacKinnons around the world in their ancient fellowship, to promote the spirit of Clanship, and grow an understanding and appreciation for the culture and history of the Scottish Gael. Clan MacKinnon Society is now once again firmly established and eager to face the future. Join us! Become a member today!
The Society grew rapidly during the years around the turn of the century. At its founding the purpose of Clan MacKinnon Society was understood to be: the fostering of Clan sentiment, cultivation of social intercourse among members, assistance to members, encouragement of education, the collection and preservation of Clan records and traditions, and promoting support of Celtic literature and Highland arts and industries.
Sadly, during the 1960s, Society enrollment markedly declined as the membership aged. In 1975, Clan MacKinnon Society in the United Kingdom closed its books. Around this time, however, Mrs. N. Joann MacKinnon Osborne in the United States began investigating the possible establishment of a Clan MacKinnon Society in the Americas. Joanne and her brother, Clinton MacKinnon, contacted Neil MacKinnon of MacKinnon, then Chief of the Clan, for permission to found a society. The Chief graciously gave their endeavor his blessing and requested that Clinton act as his Representative. By 1980, Clan MacKinnon Society of North America was constituted; two years later it boasted some 57 members.
During a meeting, attended by the Representative of the Chief and some 20 clansmen in Pleasanton, California in 2005, the spirit of Clan MacKinnon Society of North America was affirmed and the heritage of Clan MacKinnon Society of the United Kingdom acknowledged. At that meeting it was decided that a new constitution was required, a new board of directors was elected, and the Society’s goals expanded.
Clan MacKinnon Society is now striving to unite MacKinnons around the world in their ancient fellowship, to promote the spirit of Clanship, and grow an understanding and appreciation for the culture and history of the Scottish Gael. Clan MacKinnon Society is now once again firmly established and eager to face the future. Join us! Become a member today!
Equity Statement
The Clan MacKinnon Society (CMS) is aware of a report that a MacKinnon forebear was engaged in the slave trade. We denounce this activity and any other form of racial discrimination in the strongest possible terms. The Society, through its policies and procedures, is committed to the creation and preservation of an equitable and inclusive environment.
For further historical context, the following links are provided:
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