Phi Mu was founded as the Philomathean Society in 1852, and became an officially recognized Greek-Letter Sorority in 1904. Today, the organization has 123 collegiate chapters in the United States. In 1913, a group of fourteen women petitioned the Whitman College Board, and the Phi Mu organization, for permission to start their own chapter of the sorority. In 1914, their wish was granted, and Phi Mu became the first official Greek Group at Whitman. Phi Mu disbanded in 1955 after mounting financial pressure put a significant strain on the sorority, but the group still has an important legacy on campus as the first of many fraternal associations. Today, the Phi Mu chapter room is home to Kappa Alpha Theta, another National sorority.