The office of the Grand Marshal (GM) was founded shortly after the Civil War. It is symbolized by a "Top Hat", the first of which was bought for William A. Aycrigg at Boughton's Hat Store in Troy the night of his election on May 26, 1883. This office also gave name to the spring event known as "Grand Marshal Night" (now "Grand Marshal Week") in which the center attraction was the student elections.
| Term | Grand Marshal |
|---|---|
| 1865-66 | Albert M. Harper '67 |
| 1866-67 | Frank J. Hearne '67 |
| 1867-68 | Virgil G. Bogue '65 |
| 1868-69 | John Pierpoint '69 |
| 1869-70 | Thomas O. Morris '70 |
| 1870-71 | George C. MacGregor '71 |
| 1871-72 | David Reeves '72 |
| 1872-73 | Daniel A. Tompkins '73 |
| 1873-74 | James N. Caldwell, Jr. '74 |
| 1874-75 | William L. Fox '75 |
| 1875-76 | Morris S. Verner '76 |
| 1876-77 | Coddington Billings, Jr. '77 |
| 1877-78 | George S. Davison '78 |
| 1878-79 | Robert R. Bridgers '79 |
| 1879-80 | Frederick S. Young '80 |
| 1880-81 | Thomas D. Whistler '81 |
| 1881-82 | Independence Grove '82 |
| 1882-83 | Robert J. Pratt '83 |
| 1883-84 | William A. Aycrigg '84 |
| 1884-85 | Leverett S. Miller '85 |
| 1885-86 | James E. Larrowe '86 Edward B. Ashby '86 |
| 1886-87 | Halsey B. Pomeroy '87 |
| 1887-88 | James M. Africa '88 |
| 1888-89 | Paul O. Herbert '89 |
| 1889-90 | William Easby, Jr. '90 |
On October 25, 1890, the Rensselaer Union was formed. The student leader of this organization was known as the President of the Union (PU) and was first elected in that year. The PU's symbol is the "Derby", whose origins are unknown. The office of Grand Marshal was suspended for the first four years there was a PU, also for reasons unknown.
| Term | President of the Union |
|---|---|
| 1890-91 | W.C.H. Slagle '92 |
| 1891-92 | George A. Soper '93 |
| 1892-93 | James W. Frazier '94 |
| 1893-94 | Athol M. Miller '95 |
Starting in 1894, both the GM and PU were elected simultaneously.
| Term | Grand Marshal | President of the Union |
|---|---|---|
| 1894-95 | Athol M. Miller '95 | Henry B. Voorhees '96 |
| 1895-96 | Henry B. Voorhees '96 | Howard W. Mesnard '97 |
| 1896-97 | Charles J. McDonough '97 | Thomas R. Lawson '98 |
| 1897-98 | Thomas R. Lawson '98 | James B. Wilson '99 |
| 1898-99 | Gustave A. Keller '99 | William P. Creager '00 |
| 1899-1900 | Parley L. Williams, Jr. '00 | Luis G. Morphy '01 |
| 1900-01 | James W. Davis '01 | Prentice H. Burlingham '02 |
| 1901-02 | William H. Young '02 | James R. Fitzpatrick '03 |
| 1902-03 | Edward W. Banker '03 | John Q. Rankin '04 |
| 1903-04 | Homer G. Whitmore '04 | Allen Van Rensselaer '05 |
| 1904-05 | Cuyler W. Lush '05 | William S. Lozier '06 |
| 1905-06 | William S. Lozier '06 | Herman S. Chalfant '07 |
| 1906-07 | Herman S. Chalfant '07 | George Bryan, Jr. '08 |
| 1907-08 | Horace W. Rinearson '08 | Thorpe T. Walsh '09 |
| 1908-09 | Robert A. Searle '09 | Harry R. Hayes '09 |
| 1909-10 | Carl W. Schedler, Jr. '10 | John L. Weber '10 |
| 1910-11 | James T. Ganson '11 | Henry H. Giles '11 |
| 1911-12 | Frank B. Watkins '12 | H. Dutton Smith '12 |
| 1912-13 | Edward D.P. Gross '13 | Edward P. Abbott '13 |
| 1913-14 | Philip C. Rummel, Jr. '14 | David Adams, Jr. '14 |
| 1914-15 | Glenn W. Tisdale '15 | Thomas E. Dunham '15 |
| 1915-16 | John H. Howard '16 | William H. Cravens '15 |
| 1916-17 | Walter L. Johnson, Jr. '17 | Wisner R. Townsend, Jr. '17 |
| 1917-18 | Harry F. Parrott '18 | Arnold R. Kamman '18 Louis W. Robertson '18 |
| 1918-19 | Newell L. Nussbaumer '19 | Stanley L. Burns '19 |
| 1919-20 | John Van N. Richards '20 | Bruce G. Mackey '20 |
| 1920-21 | John S. Thompson '20 | William F. Dewey '21 |
| 1921-22 | Neal D. Howard '22 | Clifford H. Tyler '22 |
| 1922-23 | Gardner S. Staunton '23 | Herbert J. Gatje '23 |
| 1923-24 | William M. Stilwell, Jr. '24 | Thomas F. Perkinson, Jr. '24 |
| 1924-25 | George V. Robbins '25 | S. Townsend Tinker '25 |
| 1925-26 | H. Fuller Stearns '26 | William Busch '26 |
| 1926-27 | Marvin H. Anderson '27 | Earle K. Smith '27 |
| 1927-28 | James M. Robbins '28 | Horace K. Church '28 |
| 1928-29 | Bernard F. Wade '29 | Roger L. Doran '29 |
| 1929-30 | Edward P. Kennedy '30 | James W. Gaynor '30 |
| 1930-31 | Richard E. Warren '31 | Robert I. Warnecke '31 |
| 1931-32 | Meredith H. Thompson '32 | James E. Burdick '32 |
| 1932-33 | Howard H. Disbrow '33 | Howard K. .Mikkelsen '33 |
| 1933-34 | Carl H. Wunnenberg '34 | Roger P Fox '34 |
| 1934-35 | J. Russell Schwarting '35 | Everett J. Parry '35 |
| 1935-36 | Walter F. Powers, Jr. '36 | William D. Luening '36 |
| 1936-37 | Richard V. Anderson '37 | John L. Cotsworth '37 |
| 1937-38 | King Ward '38 | Robert G. Baumann '38 |
| 1938-39 | Eustace P. Hetzel '39 | Edward W. Osann, Jr. '39 |
| 1939-40 | Henry T. Moeckel '40 | Charles W. Lounsbury '40 |
| 1940-41 | Frank J. Sherry '41 | August Geib, Jr. '41 |
| 1941-42 | William L. Hawks '42 | Edwin C. Holmer '42 |
Due to the U.S. entry into World War II, the student elections were moved to the end of the fall semester, resulting in shortened terms for those elected in the spring of 1942.
| Term | Grand Marshal | President of the Union |
|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Allen R. Stokke '43 | Robert W. Martz '43 |
| 1942-43 | Jack V. Richards '44 | William J. Baker, Jr. '44 |
| 1943-44 | William D. Peace '45 | John J. Delany, III '45 |
In early 1944 both William Peace and John Delany were called to active service and had to resign their offices. Instead of holding new elections, the offices were to be held by the new position of Chairman of the Rensselaer Union Executive Committee, elected not by the students but by the committee itself. The Chairman held all the powers formerly wielded by the GM and PU.
| Election | Chairman of the Rensselaer Union Executive Committee |
|---|---|
| Feb. 1944 | Frank E. Robbins '45 |
| Jul. 1944 | John H. Durgin, Jr. '46 |
| Mar. 1945 | David W. Bernard '47 |
Following the victory in the Second World War, life at RPI returned to a more pre-war state. Elections were held in September of 1945 to fill the positions of GM and PU for the first time since 1943. Spring elections returned in 1946 and have been held at that time ever since.
| Term | Grand Marshal | President of the Union |
|---|---|---|
| 1945-46 | Frank P. Waters '47 | Philip A. Vautrain '47 |
| 1946-47 | Richard L. McLaughlin '48 | Allan U. Stone '47 |
| 1947-48 | Ronald F. Ball '49 | Jules A. E. Meylan '49 |
| 1948-49 | Daymon E. Jordan '50 | I. James Elmore '50 |
| 1949-50 | Gerald S. Ellsworth '50 | Robert C. Sanderson '50 |
| 1950-51 | Gibson W. Smith '51 | Walter J. Loick '51 |
| 1951-52 | William F. Payne '52 | Kenneth A. Geiger '52 |
| 1952-53 | Geraldo O. Penna '53 | Richard E. Schoenhardt '53 |
| 1953-54 | Glenn O. Brown '54 | George R. Reschke '54 |
| 1954-55 | Robert W. Fox '55 | James H. Porter '55 |
| 1955-56 | Larry O. Edwards '56 | Remo J. D'Ortenzio '56 |
| 1956-57 | David R. Murphy '57 | Norris C. Olsen '57 |
| 1957-58 | James F. Morgan '58 | Harry J. Zimmer '58 |
| 1958-59 | David E. Lord '59 | Lee S. Day '59 |
| 1959-60 | William J. Murdoch, Jr. '60 | Dan T. Spencer '60 |
| 1960-61 | J. Gregory Crozier '61 | Frederick F. Forte '61 |
| 1961-62 | Gary B. Garofalo '62 | Richard A. Worth '62 |
| 1962-63 | Michael D. Spear '63 | Juan B. Rionda '63 |
| 1963-64 | Gordon N. McIntosh '64 | Earl D. Sedlik '64 |
| 1964-65 | Charles H. Harper '65 | David A. Rowell '65 |
| 1965-66 | Dolf H. Beil '66 | F. Terrell Jones '66 |
| 1966-67 | Kenneth A. Ullman '67 | Kentner P. Shell '67 |
| 1967-68 | Alan P. Hald '68 | G. William Criss, III '68 |
| 1968-69 | Zachary I. Levine '69 | John G. Almstead '69 |
| 1969-70 | W. Scott Staruch '70 | Robert N. Schmidt '70 |
| 1970-71 | Mark P. Rice '71 | Jack S. DeMao '71 |
| 1971-72 | Thomas J. Engellenner '72 | Richard A. Spillane '72 |
| 1972-73 | Robert J. Koch '73 | Kenneth E. Bossong '72 |
| 1973-74 | Ross B. Gingrich '73 | Steven A. Mitnick '74 |
| 1974-75 | Donald Michael Stull '76 | W. Stephens Walker '73 |
| 1975-76 | Gordon E. Michaels '75 | Randall D. Fox '76 |
| 1976-77 | Ira S. Tackel '76 | Jonathan S. Sigler '77 |
| 1977-78 | Mark R. Feinstein '77 | John B. Hill '77 |
| 1978-79 | John A. Malitoris '78 | J. Philip Ulrich, Jr. '79 |
| 1979-80 | Paul J. Kowalczyk '80 | Alan M. Ehrlich '80 |
| 1980-81 | William P. Duggan '80 | Roger H. Jens '82 |
| 1981-82 | Peter Traversy '83 Jeffry A. Langan '82 | Willard A. Sanscrainte '81 |
| 1982-83 | James E. LaPosta '80 | Paul H. Scarbrough '83 |
| 1983-84 | Mary P. Garrity '83 | Laura E. Tanski '84 |
| 1984-85 | Richard E. Glassberg '85 | Timothy A. Frosell '85 |
| 1985-86 | John H. Cerveny '86 | Eric S. Gundrum '86 |
| 1986-87 | Catherine Ekstrand '85 | Andrew Morrison '87 |
| 1987-88 | Douglas K. MacKechnie '87 | Kara C. Murphy '89 |
| 1988-89 | David A. Sovie '89 | Russell S. Woodbridge '89 |
| 1989-90 | Eric M. Lambiaso '90 | Carrie A. Wallace '90 |
| 1990-91 | David W. O'Connor '91 | AnneMarie Ferraro '90 |
| 1991-92 | Mark N. Fellenz '91 | Paul D. Conforti '92 |
| 1992-93 | William A. Wheeler '94 | Patrick Tirino '94 |
| 1993-94 | Kristen Delvental '94 | Thea Zeak '94 |
| 1994-95 | Sonny Jandial '95 | Joanna M. Burt '95 |
| 1995-96 | Greg Waters '97 | Brian Dean '97 |
| 1996-97 | Kristen Trout '97 | Monica Loseman '98 |
| 1997-98 | Mamani Datta '98 | Christopher DiPalma '98 |
| 1998-99 | Erica Kulesza '99 | Christine Ciccone '99 |
| 1999-2000 | Eric Schmidt '01 | Kristine Norgren '00 |
| 2000-01 | Joseph Greco '01 | Lucas Johnson '01 |
| 2001-02 | Gil Valadez '02 | Ariana Twitchell '02 |
| 2002-03 | Christopher Mather '03 | Zachary Ament '03 |
| 2003-04 | Michael Borzumate '04 | Suzanne Peluso '04 |
| 2004-05 | Michael Dillon '05 | Peter Baldwin '06 |
| 2005-06 | Max Yates '06 | Peter Baldwin '06 |
| 2006-07 | Carlos Perea '07 | James Fisher '07 |
| 2007-08 | Julia Leusner '08 | Erik Swanson '08 |