After World War II, several university professors, headed by the dean, Prof. Dr. Walter Hallstein, the then legendary Lord Mayor of the city of Frankfurt am Main, Dr. Walter Kolb, and the President of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Dr. Alfred Petersen, met in October 1947 to recreate the Frankfurter Gesellschaft. The first general meeting took place only a few days later, on 2 December 1947.

From this point of time, the Club again became the “interface for intellectual trends of a supra-national character, a home for avant-garde, democratic reasoning." (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)
The Frankfurter Gesellschaft für Handel, Industrie und Wissenschaft is not elitist. However, it is proud that all its members are part of the elite. The number of members is limited to six hundred.  They come from the sectors of trade, banking, economy, liberal professions, the judiciary and administration, science and culture.  This diversity of professions and talents gives the Club the intellectual quality and broad-mindedness which makes it attractive for educated people.

This is demonstrated by a look at the list of notables, who have held speeches in front of  the Association: Albert Einstein, Walter Rathenau, Thomas and Heinrich Mann, Ludwig Erhard, Georg Solti, Carlo Schmid, Carl Orff, Theodor Heuss, Willy Brandt, Carola Stern, Henry Kissinger, Hermann Josef Abs, Alfred Herrhausen, Hans Tietmeyer, Odo Marquard, Wolf Singer, Angela Merkel and many, many others.