Kappa Sigma Fraternity was orignially founded as a secret society of students at the University of Bologna in the year 1400, in Italy. The group was founded by Manuel Chrysoloras, a Greek Scholar, who taught at the University. In that day of city-states, the group's initial purpose was mutual protection of its members against physical attack and robbery by the unscrupulous governor of the city, Baldassare Cossa. In 1400, Chrysoloras and his five disciples formed a society for mutual protection whose rituals and beliefs continue to be practiced to this day.

Kappa Sigma was founded in America in the fall of 1869, as five students attending the University of Virginia in Charlottesville gathered in William Grigsby McCormick's room at 46 East Lawn and planted the seed of Brotherhood. For many weeks the bonds of friendship had drawn these five together; now the need became clear for a formal structure to contain their feelings. Thus, not only did the Founders of formalize their friendship, but they also created a fraternity steeped in the traditions of the past and dedicated to the pursuit of learning. The new brothers recorded their bond in a Constitution and in an Oath which set forth the ideals and principles to all Kappa Sigmas today.

The Lambda Sigma chapter was founded at James Madison University on February 27, 1976. Originally 15 men, it has now grown to over 50 members.

Today, Kappa Sigma comprises over 200 chapters and colonies in both the United States and Canada, with over 200,000 men. Kappa Sigma is the sixth largest fraternity in the world and has approximately 150,000 brothers in North America. The list of initiates is not only long, but also distinguished. Notable alumni are present in every conceivable profession and are making great impressions on the American landscape:

• Bob Dole (Kansas): Senator and Senate Majority Leader, R-Kansas
• Jimmy Buffett (Southern Mississippi): Musician
• Robert Redford (Colorado): Actor, Director
• Ted Turner (Brown University): Media Mogul, Turner Broadcasting
• Jerry Jones (Arkansas): Owner, Dallas Cowboys
• William Hewlett (Stanford): Co-founder, Hewlett-Packard
• Edwin Hubble (Chicago): Nobel Prize winning Astronomer, namesake of the Hubble Telescope
• And many, many more.