American Society of Genealogists

In 1940 the American Society of Genealogists was organized by three renowned genealogists - Dr. Arthur Adams, John Insley Coddington, and Meredith B. Colket. The reason for the formation of the society was to "foster the training of genealogists, eliminate improper and unethical practices, elevate the profession of genealogy to the same literary and scientific level enjoyed by history, and establish a code of ethics and standards for the governing of the profession.… Membership was to be restricted to fifty persons selected for the excellence and volume of their published works that would demonstrate ability to discover facts from original source material and to evaluate and present evidence."
 
There are currently 47 fellows in the ranks of the American Society of Genealogists.  Each have been nominated and elected by their peers.

(Henry B. Hoff and Malcom H. Stern, The American Society of Genealogists, the First Fifty Years: 1940-1990 Philadelphia, 1990).