About ESU-SF

The English-Speaking Union of the United States is a non-profit, non-political, educational organization whose mission is to promote scholarships and the advancement of knowledge through the effective use of English in an expanding global community

Formally organized in 1920, the English-Speaking Union of the United States is headquartered in a charming, three-story, 19th century carriage house located in the historic Murray Hill district of New York City and operates through a network of seventy-six branches across the United States, and shares a mission with more than forty English-Speaking Unions around the world.
The San Francisco Branch is the oldest and one of the largest of the US branches. Around the same time the ESU of the Commonwealth was founded in Britain in 1918 by Sir Evelyn Wrench, a Branch in San Francisco was being organized by founding President Dean Charles Mills Gayley. Learn more about the history of the Branch by clicking here!

The Branch continues to fulfill its mission by holding an annual high school Shakespeare competition, funding scholarships for Bay Area students and teachers to pursue studies in the UK and by offering its members an engaging variety of programs and events. In addition, we have recently added participation in the Books As Envoys program, twinning with the ESU Branch in the Philippines to provide a selection of award-winning books for use in their schools.

Membership in the English-Speaking Union of the United States is a passport to the rest of the world. Our connection to an expanding network of international ESU branches affords us a rare opportunity to collaborate with other countries in a variety of educational initiatives.

The English-Speaking Union international headquarters at Dartmouth House in London welcomes ESU members from around the world.


The Board

Officers
  • Pria Graves, President
  • Douglas A Hayward, 1st Vice President
  • Suzanne Troxel, Treasurer
  • Jo Gros-Balthazard, Secretary
  • Jane Carter, Vice President
  • Sue Lloyd, Vice President
  • Margaret Moore, Vice President
  • Eric J. Walter, Vice President
Directors
  • Diane Atkinson
  • Ronald Davis
  • Jane Hickerson
  • David Hodgson
  • John McCorkindale
  • Daniel E. Riley
  • Jeremy Woan
  • David Zisser
Honorary Directors
  • David D. Donlon
  • William A. Seavey
  • W. Sloan Upton
  • The Hon. Julian Evans

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