Masonic History
GEORGE WASHINGTON
(1732-1799)
First President
(1789-1797)
Initiated: November 4, 1752, Fredericksburgh Lodge No. 4, Fredericksburg, Virginia. Raised to Master Mason: August 4, 1752.
Brother Washington was raised to Master Mason at the age of 20 in 1753. He became Worshipful Master of Alexandria Lodge #22 on April 28, 1788 and re-elected Master on December 20, 1788. He was inaugurated President of the United States on April 30, 1789, thus becoming the first and so far the only Brother to be simultaneously President and Master of his Lodge. Buried Masonically at Mount Vernon December 18, 1799 by Alexandria Lodge #22.
JAMES
MONROE
(1758-1831)
Fifth President
(1817-1825)
Initiated: November
9, 1775, St. John's Regimental
Lodge in the Continental Army.
Monroe was not yet eighteen,
but "lawful age" had
not yet been universally fixed
at twenty-one. In 1775, Brother
Monroe took Membership in Williamsburg
Lodge No. 6, Williamsburg, Virginia.
ANDREW
JACKSON
(1767-1845)
Seventh President
(1829-1837)
Initiated: The
record for Brother Jackson has
not been located. He seems to
have been a Member of St. Tammany
Lodge No. 1, Nashville, Tennessee,
as early as 1800. It was the
first Lodge in Tennessee, organized
in 1789, under a Dispensation
from the Grand Lodge of North
Carolina. The name was later
changed to Harmony Lodge No.
1 on November 1, 1800. Brother
Jackson is officially listed
as a Member in the Lodge Return
to the Grand Lodge of North
Carolina and Tennessee for 1805.
On December 27, 1813, the Grand
Lodge of Tennessee was granted
its own Constitution. Brother
Jackson was the sixth Grand
Master of Masons of Tennessee,
serving from October 7, 1822
until October 4, 1824.
JAMES
KNOX POLK
(1795-1849)
Eleventh President (1845-1849)
Initiated:
June 5, 1820, Columbia Lodge
No. 31, Columbia, Tennessee.
Brother Polk assisted in the
Cornerstone Laying of the Smithsonian
Institution, Washington, D.C.,
May 1, 1847.
Governor of Tennessee 1839-1841.
JAMES
BUCHANAN
(1791-1868)
Fifteenth President
(1857-1861)
Initiated:
December 11, 1816, Lodge No.
43, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Brother Buchanan became Worshipful
Master of Lodge No. 43 1822-1823;
and in 1824 was appointed District
Deputy Grand Master for the
Counties of Lancaster, Lebanon
and York.
ANDREW
JOHNSON
(1808-1875)
Seventeenth President
(1865-1869)
May 5, 1851: Initiated,
Greenville Lodge No. 119, Greenville,
Tennessee.
1859: Military Governor of Tennessee,
1862-1865.
He joined Nashville Commandery of Knights Templar #1.
June 1867: He took up the degrees of the Scottish Rite, receiving the 32 degree in the White House.
JAMES
A. GARFIELD
(1831-1881)
Twentieth President
(Jul 2, 1881
- Sept 19, 1881)
Assasinated 200 days into his presidency
Initiated:
November 19, 1861, Magnolia
Lodge, No. 20, Columbus, Ohio.
Owing to Civil War duties, Brother
Garfield did not receive the
Third Degree until November
22, 1864 in Columbus Lodge No.
30, Columbus, Ohio. On October
10, 1866, he Affiliated with
Garrettsville Lodge No. 246,
Garrettsville, Ohio, serving
as its Chaplain in 1868-1869.
Brother Garfield then became
a Charter Member of Pentalpha
Lodge No. 23 of Washington,
D.C. on May 4, 1869; in fact,
he was one of the Petitioners
for the Lodge Charter.
WILLIAM
McKINLEY
(1843-1901)
Twenty-fifth President
(1897-1901)
Initiated:
May 1, 1865, Hiram Lodge No.
21, Winchester, Virginia. Brother
McKinley Affiliated with Canton
Lodge No. 60, Canton, Ohio on
August 21, 1867; and Demitted
from same to become a Charter
Member of Eagle Lodge No. 431,
also in Canton. Following Brother
McKinley's death on September
14, 1901, the name was changed
to William McKinley Lodge effective
October 24, 1901.
Governor of Ohio, 1892-1896.
THEODORE
ROOSEVELT
(1858-1919)
Twenty-sixth President
(1901-1909)
Raised to Master Mason:
January 2, 1901, Matinecock
Lodge No. 806, Oyster Bay, New
York. Brother and President
Roosevelt visited the Grand
Lodge of Pennsylvania (in its
present home, the Masonic Temple
at One North Broad Street) on
November 5, 1902, for the Celebration
of the Sesqui-Centennial of
Brother George Washington's
Initiation into Freemasonry.
Governor of New York, 1899-1901.
Brother and President Roosevelt
issued an Executive Order, dated,
October 17, 1901 changing the
name of the "Executive
Mansion" to the "White
House".
WILLIAM
HOWARD TAFT
(1857-1930)
Twenty-seventh President
(1909-1913)
Raised:
February 18, 1909. Brother Taft
was made a "Mason at Sight"
within the Body of Kilwinning
Lodge No. 356, Cincinnati, Ohio,
by Grand Master Charles S. Hoskinson.
His father and two brothers
were also Members of this Lodge.
Brother and President Taft addressed
the Brethren, saying, "I
am glad to be here, and to be
a Mason. It does me good to
feel the thrill that comes from
recognizing on all hands the
Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood
of Man." Brother and President
Taft visited the Grand Lodge
of Pennsylvania on the occasion
of a Special Communication held
in the Masonic Temple (One North
Broad Street), on March 12,
1912.
WARREN
G. HARDING
(1865-1923)
Twenty-ninth President
(1921-1923)
Initiated:
June 28, 1901, Marion Lodge
No. 70, Marion, Ohio. Because
of some personal antagonism,
Brother Harding's dvancement
was hindered until 1920, by
which time he had been nominated
for President. Friends persuaded
the opposition to withdraw the
objection, and on August 27,
1920, nineteen years after his
Initiation, Brother Harding
achieved the Sublime Degree
of Master Mason, in Marion Lodge.
At his request, Brother Harding
took the Oath of Office of President
of the United States upon the
same Bible as was used by Brother
George Washington for the same
purpose on April 30, 1789 (the
Altar Bible of St. John's Lodge
No. 1, New York City).
FRANKLIN
DELANO ROOSEVELT
(1882-1945)
Thirty-second President
(1933-1945)
Initiated:
October 11, 1911, Holland Lodge
No. 8, New York City. Brother
Roosevelt participated in the
Raising of his son Elliott (1910-1990)
on February 17, 1933, in Architect's
Lodge No. 519, also in New York
City. He was present, but did
not participate in the Degrees
when two other sons, James (1907-1991)
and Franklin D., Jr. (1914-1988)
became Members of their brother
Elliott's Lodge, on November
7, 1935. Brother and President
Roosevelt was made the first
Honorary Grand Master of the
Order of DeMolay on April 13,
1934 at the White House. Brother
Roosevelt was a cousin of former
president and Master Mason,
Theodore Roosevelt.
Governor of New York, 1929-1933.
HARRY
S TRUMAN
(1884-1972)
Thirty-third President
(1945-1952)
Initiated:
February 9, 1909, Belton Lodge
No. 450, Belton, Missouri. In
1911, several Members of Belton
Lodge separated to establish
Grandview Lodge No. 618, Grandview,
Missouri, and Brother Truman
served as its first Worshipful
Master. At the Annual Session
of the Grand Lodge of Missouri,
September 24-25, 1940, Brother
Truman was elected (by a landslide)
the ninety-seventh Grand Master
of Masons of Missouri, and served
until October 1, 1941. Brother
and President Truman was made
a Sovereign Grand Inspector
General, 33°, and Honorary
Member, Supreme Council on October
19,1945 at the Supreme Council
A.A.S.R. Southern Jurisdiction
Headquarters in Washington D.C.,
upon which occasion he served
as Exemplar (Representative)
for his Class. He was also elected
an Honorary Grand Master of
the International Supreme Council,
Order of DeMolay. On May 18,
1959, Brother and Former President
Truman was presented with a
fifty-year award, the only U.S.
President to reach that golden
anniversary in Freemasonry.
GERALD
RUDOLPH FORD
(1913-2006)
Thirty-eighth President
(1974-1977)
Initiated:
September 30, 1949, Malta Lodge
No. 465, Grand Rapids, Michigan,
along with his half-brothers
Thomas Gardner Ford,
Richard Addison Ford
and James Francis Ford. The Fellowcraft and Master
Mason Degrees were Conferred
by Columbia Lodge No. 3, Washington,
D.C., on April 20 and May 18,
1951, as a courtesy to Malta
Lodge. Brother Ford was made
a Sovereign Grand Inspector
General, 33°, and Honorary
Member, Supreme Council A.A.S.R.
Northern Jurisdiction at the
Academy of Music in Philadelphia,
on September 26, 1962, for which
he served as Exemplar (Representative)
for his Class. Brother and President
Ford was unanimously elected
an Active Member of the International
Supreme Council, Order of DeMolay
and its Honorary Grand Master,
at its Annual Session held at
Orlando, Florida, April 6-9,
1975; Brother Ford held this
post until January 1977, at
which time he became a Past
Honorary Grand Master, receiving
his Collar and Jewel on October
24, 1978 in Topeka, Kansas,
from the Hon. Thomas C. Raum,
Jr., Grand Master, Order of
DeMolay.