Frank Ireland Buckingham Esq, 33°
(Jan 18, 1873-Apr 14, 1953)
Member, South Gate Lodge #547
Past Master, South Gate Lodge #547

1905 - 32° Consistory of Western Missouri, Kansas City
1908-09 - Commander, Council of Knights Kadosh
1917 - Knight Commander of the Court of Honour
1922 - Coroneted 33° Inspector General Honorary
1925-26 - Master of Kadosh of the Consistory

Past Grand Orator of Demolay Grand Council

Occupation: Attorney, President of the Home for Crippled Boys, Kansas City
Recommended: William Winants
Interred: Elmwood Cemetery, Kansas City, MO

Brother Buckingham an attorney and ardent Freemason was an authority on youth groups in the United States. In 1931, Brother Buckingham traveled to Europe and studied the youth groups there for four months. Reports of his tour noted that among others he met with Benito Mussolini and Adolph Hitler as well as touring then Soviet Russia. Brother Buckingham's return was widely reported in the newspapers in the United States. In the report of his findings Brother Buckingham disputed George Bernard Shaw's assertion that Soviet Russia was a land of promise. Brother Buckingham described Russia as a land in which liberty had been blotted out, church life destroyed and youthful hope and ambition was squelched early and totally. He further described socialist George Bernard Shaw, a noted Irish playwright, as being a man in his dotage that during his visit to Russia was shown what the Soviets wanted him to see.

Masonic History:
Brother Buckingham became a member of the Kansas City Valley of the Scottish Rite in 1905. He served as Commander of the Council of Kadosh in 1908 and 1909. He was invested with the Knight Commander of the Court of Honour in 1917. He was coroneted a 33° in 1922 and served as Master of Kadosh in The Consistory in 1925 and 1926. He also served as Grand Orator for the Grand Council of the Order of DeMolay.

He died of natural causes at St. Joseph's Hospital, Kansas City, MO. He was survived by his wife Amy.