The 16 Most Powerful Members Of 'Skull And Bones'

Photo by Susan Watts-Pool/Getty ImagesGeorge W. Bush, the last in a long line of Bonesman in his family, gives a speech as president.

In 1832 five Yale students - including future President William Howard Taft's father - founded one of America's most famous secret societies: Skull and Bones.

Since then, the group has come to signify all that both mesmerizes and repulses the public about the elite.

Each year, only 15 seniors are "tapped," or chosen, for lifetime membership in the club.

A windowless building on 64 High St. serves as its headquarters - the "Tomb." The roof serves as a landing pad for the club's private helicopter, according to Alexandra Robbins' book, "Secrets of the Tomb." For that perk and others, Bonesman must swear total allegiance to the club.

New members divulge intimate personal details, including their full sexual histories, before they're inducted, Robbins writes. They also agree to give part of their estates to the club. But, in return, they receive the promise of lifelong financial stability - so they won't feel tempted to sell the club's secrets, according to Robbins.

While members of the society are tight-lipped about those secrets, we do at least know the identities of some of its most powerful members. Among those business titans, poets, politicians, and three U.S. Presidents, we picked the honor roll of Skull and Bones.