Robert’s Rules of Order turns 150 years old

DULUTH, Minn. — One of the most influential rule books for public meetings operate turned 150 years old Thursday.

Robert’s Rules was written in 1876 and is still shaping modern meetings today.

Robert’s Rules of Order are designed to create fair, orderly meetings with equal speaking time for debates before votes are made.

North Carolina attorney Jim Slaughter said the original book got its start from Army General Henry Martyn Robert who ran a meeting during the Civil War.

Slaughter wrote his own version of the rules entitled, Robert’s Rules of Order Fast Track: The Brief and Easy Guide to Parliamentary Procedure for the Modern Meeting.

“People go into meetings every day with very different opinions. Sometimes argue very viciously about things.  But if the meeting is run fairly, and if votes are taken fairly, people tend to behave amazingly well. They understand that they didn’t have enough votes to get their view across,” Slaughter said.

Robert’s Rules of Order is revised every 10 years or so to better adapt to modern times.