Masonic Stuff

Check back often for updated Texas Masonic history additions. Scroll down to view….

Running Rooster is a Master Mason A.F. & A.M. (Endowed) Northwest Lodge #1434, Spring, TX 
This page is intended to be used as a place to post Masonic history, facts, myths, and other interesting Masonic information.

The most frequent question I receive is “Why did you want to become a Mason?” I think the biggest motivator for me was to establish a connection with a portion of American history that has deep roots within the very founding of our country. I enjoy reading the historical books and articles about members of the Brotherhood and their impact on society, culture, government, and even every day life, not only here but all around the world.

Though its heritage in antiquity is unmistakable, no one knows with certainty how or when the Masonic Fraternity was formed. 

A widely accepted theory among Masonic scholars is that modern speculative Freemasonry arose from the stonemasons’ guilds during the Middle Ages. It was founded upon the structure, ceremonies, and symbolism of the lodges of operative or working freemen stonemasons, who built the magnificent Medieval Gothic structures throughout much of Europe and England.

Dated in 1390 AD, the Regius Poem, which was a copy of an earlier work, details the charter of a lodge operating in the 900s AD “Masonry” then meant architecture and encompassed most of the arts and sciences. Because lodges held knowledge as competitive secrets, only trusted, capable companions were instructed in the craft - and then only by degrees, orally and through symbols, because of widespread illiteracy.

What is known is that in 1717, four lodges in London formed the first Grand Lodge of England, and records from that point on are more complete.

This is a very fascinating subject for most masons. Many articles have been written.  Below are two for example so you may have an idea on how complex it is the “Origins of Freemasonry”

How Freemasonry Started - Many articles put together to give a general brief explanation

The Origin of Freemasonry - speech given Robert Longfield, Q.C. to the Brethren of The Victoria Lodge, No. IV., Dublin on 2nd February 1857

… to spread the cement of brotherly love and affection, that cement which unites us into one sacred band or society of brothers, among whom no contention should ever exist, but that noble emulation of who can best work or best agree …

Though its heritage in antiquity is unmistakable, no one knows with certainty how or when the Masonic Fraternity was formed. 

A widely accepted theory among Masonic scholars is that modern speculative Freemasonry arose from the stonemasons’ guilds during the Middle Ages. It was founded upon the structure, ceremonies, and symbolism of the lodges of operative or working freemen stonemasons, who built the magnificent Medieval Gothic structures throughout much of Europe and England.

Dated in 1390 AD, the Regius Poem, which was a copy of an earlier work, details the charter of a lodge operating in the 900s AD “Masonry” then meant architecture and encompassed most of the arts and sciences. Because lodges held knowledge as competitive secrets, only trusted, capable companions were instructed in the craft - and then only by degrees, orally and through symbols, because of widespread illiteracy.

What is known is that in 1717, four lodges in London formed the first Grand Lodge of England, and records from that point on are more complete.

This is a very fascinating subject for most masons. Many articles have been written.  Below are two for example so you may have an idea on how complex it is the “Origins of Freemasonry”

How Freemasonry Started - Many articles put together to give a general brief explanation

The Origin of Freemasonry - speech given Robert Longfield, Q.C. to the Brethren of The Victoria Lodge, No. IV., Dublin on 2nd February 1857
——————————————————————————–

 

When the first colonist arrived in Texas their life was one of survival without the benefit of churches, schools and lodges, or even homes as they put together shanties of one kind or another until they could find the time and means to build something more substantial.   By March of 1835, there were six brethren in Brazoria who had decided that the time had come for making an attempt to have a lodge in Texas.   On March 10, 1835, John A. Wharton, Asa Brigham, James A. E. Phelps, Alexander Russell, Anson Jones and J. P. Caldwell met in a secluded grove near Brazoria and petitioned the Grand Lodge of Louisiana for a dispensation to form a new Lodge to be called Holland Lodge.   The dispensation was granted and the first meeting of Holland Lodge No. 36 was conducted on December 27, 1835.   The charter for this new lodge was eventually delivered to Anson Jones just before the battle at San Jacinto, and the charter remained in his saddlebags through the battle.Today, special efforts continue to be made to preserve the Brazoria Oak where the March 10th meeting took place.  Brethren from the various lodges in the area have maintained the grounds and once a year Masons from all over the state make the pilgrimage to be a part of the annual picnic to celebrate and commerate that first meeting.   All Texas Masons are encourage to attend this annual picnic.     

It is said that from little acorns, mighty oaks grow.   Such was the case in about the year 1600 when an acorn fell to the ground in the vast coastal forest area near the present City of Brazoria.   It was an acorn from which to grow a tree destined to play a part in the history of Masonry in Texas.

To survive under the then virgin growth conditions, the acorn has to escape natural enemies.   It had to anchor its roots deep in the soil to secure needed food and moisture.   But, above all, the tree which was produced from this acorn had to fight, and fight hard for survival and to secure dominance among other trees.   This it did. 

When the acorn fell to the ground, Columbus had discovered America only about 100 years earlier.   The area comprising Texas was then under Spanish rule since the Aztecs and the Kingdom of Tezcuso had been conquered by the Spaniards under Cortez in 1519-21.   Masonry was then struggling in England with “Ancient” and “Modern” Lodges based on class distinction, a condition which at that time did not bode well for our fraternity.

It was in 1821, under the Plan of Iquala*, that Mexico proclaimed herself as an independent monarchy.  The nation of Mexico then included what is now California, Arizona, Utah and Texas, among other areas.   By this period in history the oak tree had grown to maturity.   It was ready to play a role in Texas Masonic history.

The tree was subsequently to be known by Masons as the Charter Oak, Masonic Charter Oak, or Masonic Oak, for it was under its spreading branches that Masons met to establish the first Masonic Lodge in the Republic of Texas.

Every May the Masonic Oak Ceremony is held in Brazoria, Texas.   The reason is evident in the following remarks made by our first Grand Master, Anson Jones, before the Grand Lodge of Texas on June 4, 1850:

“In the winter of 1834-5, five Master Masons, who had made themselves known to each other, consulted among themselves, and after various interviews and much deliberations, resolved to take measures to establish a lodge of their Order in Texas.  This resolution was not formed without a full appreciation of its consequences to the individual concerned.  Every movement in Texas was watched, at that time, with jealously and distrust by the Mexican government.

“The dangers . . . were neither few nor unimportant.  But zeal for a beloved institution; a belief that it would be beneficial at a period when society seemed especially to need some fraternal bonds to unite them together, predominated; all fears of personal consequences were thrown aside, and the resolution to establish a lodge was adopted.   The five brethren were John A. Wharton, Asa Brigham, James A.E. Phelps, Alexander Russell and Anson Jones, and they appointed a time and place of meeting to concert measures to carry their resolution into effect.   In the meantime another Master Mason came into their plans,  Brother J. P. Caldwell.

“The place of the meeting was back of the town of Brazoria, near the place known as General John Austin’s, in a little grove of wild peach or laurel . . . The spot was secluded, and out of the way of cowans and eaves-droppers, and they felt they were alone!   The six brethren I have mentioned were all present there; and it was concluded to apply to the Grand Lodge of Louisiana for a Dispensation to form and open a Lodge, to be called Holland Lodge.”

The place where they sat was shaded by a majestic oak tree, for many years now known as the Masonic Oak.  The city of Brazoria uses the Masonic Oak as its official emblem, and it can be seen on city police cars and elsewhere.

(  * Plan of Iquala declared that Mexico was to be declared an independent monarchy under a Spanish Bourbon Prince, the Roman Catholic Church was to retain all its powers, Creoles and Gachupínes were to have equal rights, and there was to be no confiscation of property. Popularly, the plan was known for its three guarantees: religion (Catholic), independence, and union with the Bourbons.)

Note: You can tour the home of Anson Jones at Barrington Living History Farm, a part of Washington-On-The-Brazos State Historic Site. http://www.birthplaceoftexas.com/barrington/index.htm

The granite marker on the grounds of the old Masonic Oak reads as follows: “Here on a day in March 1835 Brothers Anson Jones, John A. Wharton, Asa Brigham, J.A.E. Phelps, Alex Russell and J. P. Caldwell met and resolved to petition the Grand Lodge of Louisiana for a dispensation to form a Lodge of Freemasons.   Their prayer was granted and Holland Lodge began work.   Lodges were later formed at Nacogdoches and San Augustine, and on December 20th, 1837, these three Lodges created the Grand Lodge of the Republic of Texas with M.W. Anson Jones as the first Grand Master of Masons in Texas.” 

 Featured Texas Mason #1

  Stephen Fuller Austin, Freemason and Father of Texas

 

Stephen Fuller Austin (November 3, 1793 - December 27, 1836), known as the “Father of Texas“, led the second and ultimately successful colonization of the region of northern Mexico known as Bexar in the state of Coahuila y Tejas.  Austin was made a Master Mason in Louisiana Lodge No. 109 in St. Genevieve, Louisiana, in June of 1815.  From the time he first entered Mexico City in 1822 to renew his father’s land grant in order to bring families to Texas, until his death in 1836, his efforts and adventures are constantly mingled with the efforts and adventures of fellow Master Masons in Texas. 

Austin’s plan for a colony in Texas was halted when Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821.  Austin was informed that the junta instituyente, the new congress of the government of Agustín I of Mexico, refused to recognize the land grant made to his father by the Spanish government. Austin traveled to Mexico City and managed to persuade the junta instituyente to authorize the grant that had been given to his father, which would, in turn, permit immigration plans by Emprasario Austin to continue.

By late 1825, Austin had brought the first 300 families, now known in Texas history as the Old Three Hundred, to the land grant originally given to his father. Of the original 300 families, 39 of them are known to have been headed by Master Masons. 

In contrast to the many ruffians who later came to Texas, Austin made every effort to accept only colonists who were law abiding, and of sterling character.  In the same manner that a lodge requires background information on members, Austin required the colonists to bring with them documents that attested to their good character.  Although he had effective civil and military authority over the settlers, he was quick to introduce a semblance of American law, and the Constitution of Coahuila y Tejas was agreed upon in November 1827. To uphold law and order and protect the colonists, Austin organized small armed groups that came to be known as the Texas Rangers.

Despite his hopes, Austin was making little money from his endeavors.  The colonists were unwilling to pay for his services as emprasario, and most of the money gained was spent on the processes of government and public services.

It was during these years that Austin sought to establish Freemasonry in Texas. Freemasonry was well established and accepted among the educated classes of Mexican society, and many of the men coming into Texas were Masons.  It should be noted that the (American) Anti-Masonic political party was formed in 1826, and skepticism about Masonry was widespread in the United States at that time.  It is the author’s belief that this led to the immigration of many Masons into Texas. 

On February 11, 1828, Austin called a meeting of Freemasons at San Felipe for the purpose of electing officers and petitioning the Masonic Grand Lodge in Mexico City for a charter to form a lodge. Austin was elected Worshipful Master of the new lodge. Although the petition reached Matamoros, and was to be forwarded to Mexico City, nothing more was heard of it.

By 1828, the ruling faction in Mexico was afraid that the liberal elements in Texas might try to gain their independence. Fully aware of the political philosophies of American Freemasons, the Mexican government outlawed Freemasonry on October 25, 1828. In 1829, Austin called another meeting where it was decided that it was “impolitic and imprudent, at this time, to form Masonic lodges in Texas.”

In December of 1836, Austin was in the new capital of Columbia (now known as West Columbia) where he caught a severe cold, and his condition worsened. Doctors were called in, but could not help him. Austin died of pneumonia at noon on December 27, 1836, at the home of George B. McKinstry right outside of what is now West Columbia, Texas. Austin’s last words were “The independence of Texas is recognized! Don’t you see it in the papers?…” Upon hearing of Austin’s death, Houston ordered an official statement proclaiming: “The Father of Texas is no more; the first pioneer of the wilderness has departed.”

Compiled by the 2008 Grand Lodge of Texas History Committee, from articles published by the Grand Lodge of Texas;  Wikipedia; The Handbook of Texas Online;  The Texas Masons: The Fraternity of Ancient Free & Accepted Masons in the History of Texas by Pete Normand;  and Masonry in Texas: Background, History, and Influence to 1846. by the Committee on Masonic Education and Service, Grand Lodge of Texas, A.F. & A.M.

Other Famous/Notable Masons:

ASTRONAUTS
Aldrin, Edwin E. - Astronaut; second man on the moon
Armstrong, Neil - Astronaut; first man on the moon
Cooper, Gordon - astronaut
Eisle, Don - Astronaut
Glenn, John H. - Astronaut, and U.S. Senator
Grissom, Virgil - Astronaut
Haise, Fred - astronaut
Michell, Ed - Astronaut
Shirra, Wally - astronaut
Stafford, Tom - astronaut

BUSINESS LEADERS
Astor, John Jacob - financier
Balfour, Lloyd - jewelry
Bell, Lawrence - Bell Aircraft Corp.
Carnegie, Andrew - Philanthropist and steel industry industrialist
Chrysler, Walter P. - Chrysler Corporation
Citroen, Andre - French Engineer and motor car manufacturer
Dow, William H. - Dow Chemical Co.
Drake, Edwin L - American Pioneer of the Oil industry
Faber, Eberhard - Head of the famous Eberhard Fabor Pencil Company
Ford, Henry - Pioneer Automobile Manufacturer
Fuller, Alfred - Fuller Brush
Gannett, Frank E. - Hobosco Lodge No. 716, Ithaca, NY - media empire
Gillett, King C. - Gillett Razor Co.
Hilton, Charles C. - Hilton Hotels
Lipton, Sir Thomas - Lipton Tea Company
Maytag, Fredrick - Maytag
Mellon, Andrew W. - Banker
Olds, Ransom E. - American automobile pioneer
Penny, James C. - J.C. Pennys
Teets, John W. - Chairman and President of Dial Corporation
Thomas, Dave - Wendys Restaurants

EDUCATORS
BuBois, W.E.B. - Educator/scholar
Washington, Booker T - educator, inventor, author

ENTERTAINMENT
Autry, Gene - actor; Catoosa Lodge No. 185, Oklahoma
Borgnine, Ernest - actor
Cody, “Buffalo Bill” William F. - Indian fighter, Wild West Show - Platte Valley Lodge No. 32, North Platte, NE
Cohan, George M. - Broadway star
Costello, Lou - comedian
DeMille, Cecil B.
Fairbanks, Douglas - actor
Fields, W.C. - actor
Gable, Clark - actor
Gibson, Hoot - cowboy actor; Truth Lodge No. 628, Los Angeles, CA
Godfrey, Arthur - actor
Grock - Swiss Circus Clown
Hardy, Oliver - actor
Hope, Bob - comedian
Houdini, Harry - magician
Irving, Sir Henry - English Actor
Kean, Edmund - English Actor
Lincoln, Elmo - First actor to play Tarzan of the Apes (1918)
Lloyd, Harold C. - actor
Mayer, Louis B. - film producer who merged to form Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Mix, Tom - U.S. Marshal turned western actor
Richards, Michael - comedian (Kramer of “Seinfeld” fame)
Ringling Brothers - all 7 brothers and their father
Rogers, Roy - actor; Hollywood Lodge No. 255, California
Rogers, Will - actor; Claremore Lodge No. 53, Oklahoma
Sellers, Peter - actor
Skelton, Red - comedian
Sloane, Sir John - English Artist
Stratton, Charles “Tom Thumb” - Entertainer
Thomas, Danny - actor
Thomas, Lowell - radio announcer/newsman
Thornhill, Sir James - English Artist
Warner, Jack - Warner Brothers fame
Wayne, John - Academy Award winning actor; Marion McDaniel Lodge No. 56, Tucson, AZ
Wolfitt, Sir Donald - English Actor
Wyler, William - file director
Zanuck, Darryl F. - Co-founder of 20th Century Productions
Ziegfeld, Florenz - Ziegfeld’s Follies
Zoffany, John - Artist

FOUNDERS
Baylor, Robert E. B. - founder Baylor University
Beard, Daniel Carter - founder Boy Scouts
Dunant, Jean Henri - founder of the Red Cross
Ford, Henry - founder Ford Motor Company - Palestine Lodge No. 357, Detroit, MI
Gompers, Samuel - founder of the AFL - Dawson Lodge No. 16, Washington, DC
Gompers, Samuel - Jewish immigrant, founder of American Federation of Labor.
Hedges, Cornelius - “Father” of Yellowstone National Park
Jones, Melvin - One of the founders of the Lions International
Land, Frank S. - Founder Order of DeMolay
Mayo, Dr. William and Charles - founded the Mayo Clinic - Rochester Lodge No. 21, Rochester, MN
Peale, Norman Vincent - founder of “Guidepost”
Sanders, Harland (Colonel Sanders’)- Founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken Restaurant
Schoonover, George - Founder of “The Builder”
Sexson, William Mark - founder International Order of Rainbow Girls
Stanford, Leland - drove the gold spike linking the intercontinetal railroad and founded Stanford University

INVENTORS & SCIENTISTS
Banks, Sir Joseph - English Scientist
Colt, Samuel - firearms inventor
Desaguliers, John Theophilus - Inventor of the planetarium
Fitch, John - inventor of the steamboat
Fleming, Sir Alexander - invented Penicillin
Gatling, Richard J. - built the “Gatling Gun
Guillotin, Joseph Ignace - Inventor of the “Guillotin”
Hoe, Richard M. - invented the rotary press, revolutionizing newspaper printing
Jenner, Edward - invented vaccination
Lake, Simon - built first submarine successful in open sea.
Menninger, Karl A. - Psychiatrist famous for treating mental illness
Mesmer, Franz Anton - practiced Mesmerism which led to Hypnotism
Michelson, Albert Abraham - Successfully measured the speed of light in 1882
Montgolfier, Jacques Etienne - Co-developer of the first practical hot-air balloon
Papst, Charles F. - Coined the term “Athletes Foot”
Pike, Albert - Revolutionized American Freemasonry
Poinsett, Joel R. - U.S. Minister to Mexico who developed the flower: Poinsettia
Pullman, George - built first sleeping car on train.
Salten, Felix - Creator of Bambi
Sarnoff, David - father of television
Sax, Antoine Joseph - invented the saxophone
Spilsbury, Sir Bernard - English Scientists
Still, Andrew T. - American Physician who devised treatment of Osteopathy

MILITARY
Allen, Ethan - General, Revolutionary War; Windsor, Vermont
Arnold, Benedict - American General and Later Traitor
Arnold, General Henry “Hap” - Commander of the Army Air Force - Union Lodge No. 7, Jnction City, MO
Bonaparte, Napolean
Boomer, Walter - Commander of Marine forces during Desert Storm
Bradley, Omar N. - General, U.S. Army
Byrd, Richard
Chenault, Claire L.
Clark, Mark
Doolittle, General James - General, famous Air Force Pilot
Farragut, David G. - Admiral in U.S. Civil War - Naval Lodge No. 87, Mare Islan
Garibaldi, Giuseppe - the “George Washington” of Italy - Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Palermo
Herkimer, Nicholas - Brigadier General, American Revolution - St. Patricks Lodge No. 8, Johnstown, NY
Jackson, Thomas Jonathan - “Stonewall” - General in Confederate Army
John Barry - the Father of the American Navy - Old Lodge No. 2, Philadelphia
Jones, John Paul - Founder and first admiral of the U.S. Navy - St. Bernard Lodge No. 122 (now St. Cuthbert No. 41)
King, Ernest J. - Admiral USN
Knox, Henry - first U.S. Secretary of War - St. Johns Regimental Lodge, Morristown, NJ
LaMay, Curtis E. - General USAF
MacArthur, General Douglas - Commander of Armed Forces in Philillines - Manila Lodge No. 1, Manila, Philippines
Marshall, George - General USA
McClellan, George B. - General, Union Army
Montgomery, Richard - Major General Continental Army and First General of the Army to be killed in battle. Dec 31, 1775.
Murphy, Audie - most decorated American Soldier of WWII
Perry, Matthew Calbraith - Commodore; responsible for opening relations with Japan; Holland Lodge No. 8, New York City
Pershing, John Joseph “Blackjack” - General - Lincoln Lodge No. 19, Lincoln, NE
Pickett, George E. - Maj. Gen. (CSA), led “Pickett’s Charge” at Gettysburg - Blandford Lodge, Petersburg, VA
Rickenbacker, Eddie - great American Air Force Ace
Scott, Winfield - Dinwiddlie Lodge No. 23, Virginia
Stark, John - Major General in U.S. Revolution War, “Green Mountain Boys” - Masters Lodge No. 2, Albany, NY
Stillwell, Joseph
Tirpitz, Alfred Von - German Naval officer responsible for submarine warfare
Wainwright, Jonathan M. - American General of the Bataan Peninsula - Union Lodge No. 7, Junction City, KS
Wayne, Anthony - “Mad Anthony”

MUSICIANS
Armstrong, Louis - jazz musician
Bach, Johann Christian - Musician/Composer
Bassie, William “Count” - orchestra leader/composer
Berlin, Irving - composer/entertainer
Bishop, Sir Henry - Musician
Clark, Roy - country western star; Jenks Lodge No. 497, Oklahoma
Cohan, George M. - composer
Cole, Nat ‘King’ - singer
Ellington, Duke - Composer, Arranger and Stylist
Gilbert & Sullivan - composers
Haydn, Joseph - composer
Jolson, Al - St. Cecile Lodge No. 568, New York
Kern, Jerome David - American composer, “Show Boat” - Gramatan Lodge No. 927, Bronxville, NY
Listz, Frank - composer
Monckton, Lionel - Musician
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - composer
Sibelius, Jean - Composer (Finland)
Smith, John Stafford - Wrote the music that became the US National Anthem.
Sousa, John Philip - composer - Hiran Lodge No. 10, Washington, DC
Sullivan, Sir Arthur - Musician
Wagner, Richard - composer
Wesley, Samuel - Musician
Whiteman, Paul - “King of Jazz”

OTHERS
Bancroft, Edward - Private Secretary to Benjamin Franklin in Paris and employ of British Secret Service. The first spy (mole) employed in a US embassy.
Casanova - Italian Adventurer, writer and entertainer
Hogarth, William - English Artist
Radcliff, Charles - First Grand Master of The Grand Lodge of France and last British nobleman beheaded in Tower of London in 1745.
Wadlow, Robert Pershing - Tallest human on record being almost 9 feet tall
Webb, Matthew - First man to swim the English Channel (1875)

PIONEERS & EXPLORERS
Burton, Sir Richard - English Explorer
Byrd, Admiral Richard E. - flew over North Pole - Federal Lodge No. 1, Washington, D
Carson, Christopher “Kit” - Frontiersman, scout and explorer; Montezuma Lodge No. 109, New Mexico.
Clark, William - Explorer (Lewis & Clark)
Crockett, David - Frontiersman and Alamo fame
Lewis, Meriwether - Explorer (Lewis & Clark)
Lindbergh, Charles - Aviator - Keystone Lodge No. 243, St. Louis, MO
Livingston, Robert - Co-Negotiator for purchase of Louisiana Territory
Marshall, James W. - Discovered Gold at Sutter’s Mill California 1848
New, Harry S. - Postmaster General who established Airmail
Oglethorpe, James - Conceived of Colony of Georgia to be settled by British debtors from the prisons. Started first lodge in Georgia in 1732.
Peary, Robert E. - First man to reach the North Pole (1909) - Kane Lodge No. 451, NY
Scott, Capt. Robert Falcon - English Explorers
Shackleton, Sir Ernest - English Explorer

RELIGIOUS
Baker, James C. - Bishop, Methodist Church
Ballou, Hosea - founder, Universalist Church
Bradley, Preston - founder of Peoples Church
Calvo, Father Francisco - Catholic Priest who started Freemasonry in Costa Rica 1865
Evans, Hugh I. - National Head of the Presbyterian Church, USA
Fisher, Geoffrey - Archbishop of Canterbury 1945 - 1961
Herbert, Bishop Percy - Bishop of Norwich
Jackson, Reverend Jesse - Minister
King, Thoams Starr
Low, Titus - President of Methodist Council of Bishops
Newton, Joseph Fort - Christian Minister
Peale, Reverend Dr. Norman Vincent - Methodist Episcopal Minister and author
Smith, Joseph - Founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Young, Brigham - Second President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

SCULPTORS
Bartholdi, Frederic A. - designed the Statue of Liberty - Alsacre-Lorraine Lodge, France
Borglum, Gutzon & Lincoln - father and son who carved Mt. Rushmore
Hoban, James - architect for the U.S. Captial
Pike, Zebulon - Pike’s Peak named after him
Schadow, Johann G. - Prussian Court
Schweizer, J. Otto

SPORTS
Brundage, Avery - U.S. Olympics - North Shore Lodge No. 937, Chicago, IL
Cobb, Ty - baseball
Combs, Earle Bryan - Baseball Hall of Fame
Dempsey, Jack - boxing
Hornsby, Rogers - baseball
Hubbel, Carl - baseball; Meeker Lodge No. 479, Oklahoma
Naismith, James - inventor of Basketball - Roswell Lee Lodge, Springfield, MA
Palmer, Arnold - golf
Robinson, Sugar Ray - boxing
Young, Cy - baseball

U.S. PATRIOTS
Bellamy, Ralph - wrote “Pledge of Allegiance”
Bowie, James - Alamo
Clark, George Rogers - frontiersman - Abraham Lodge No. 8, Louisville, KY
Franklin, Benjamin - signer of the U.S. Constitution; St. John’s Lodge of Philadelphia; Past Provincial Grand Master of Pennsylvania
Hale, Nathan - “I regret that I have but one life to give to my country” - St. John’s Lodge No. 1, Rhode Island
Hancock, John - signer of the Declaration of Independance
Henry, Patrick
Key, Francis Scott - wrote the “Star Spangled Banner” (U.S. National Anthem)
Lafayette, Marquis de - French supporter of Amerian Freedom
McHenry, James - signer of the U.S. Constitution - Spiritual Lodge No. 23, Maryland
Otis, James - “Taxation without Representation is Tyranny”
Revere, Paul - “Midnight Ride” - St. Andrews Lodge & Grand Master of Massachusetts
Travis, Colonel William B. - Alamo

U.S. POLITICAL LEADERS
Austin, Stephen F. - Father of Texas - Louisiana Lodge No. 109, St. Genevieve, MO
Brant, Joseph - Chief of the Mohawks (1742-1807)
Bryant, William Jennings - former Secretary of State - Temple Lodge No. 247, Miami, FL
Burnett, David G. - 1st President of the Republic of Texas
Clay, Henry - U.S. Senator - Grand Master in Kentucky
Clinton, DeWitt - Governor of New York and instigator of the Erie Canal - Grand Master of New York
Dole, Bob - former U.S. Senator/Majority Leader, Kansas; Russell Lodge No. 177, Kansas
Ervin Jr, Samual J. - Headed “Watergate” committee
Goldwater, Barry - U.S. Senator
Hoover, J. Edgar - Director of FBI
Houston, Sam - 2nd & 4th President of the Republic of Texas - Holland Lodge No. 1, Houston, TX
Jones, Anson - 5th President of the Republic of Texas
Kalakaua, David - King of the Hawaiian Islands
Kemp, Jack - former U.S. Senator/Secretary of HUD, New York; Fraternal Lodge No. 625 in Hamburg, NY
La Guardia, Fiorella H. - La Guardia Airport, Mayor of New York 1930’s & 40’s - Garibaldi Lodge No. 542, NYC
Lamar, Mirabeau B. - 3rd President of the Republic of Texas
Nunn, Sam - former U.S. Senator
Rayburn, Sam - Speaker of the House - Constantine Lodge No. 13, Bonham, TX
Stevenson, Adlai E. Stevenson - U.S. Vice President - Metamora Lodge No. 82, Metamora, IL
Wallace, Governor George C. - Presidential Candidate who was nearly assasinated

U.S. PRESIDENTS
Buchanon, James - Lodge No. 43, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Ford, Gerald R. - Malta Lodge No. 465, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Garfield, James A. - Magnolia Lodge No. 20, Columbus, Ohio
Harding, Warren G. - Marion Lodge No. 70, Marion, Ohio
Jackson, Andrew - Harmony Lodge No. 1, Nashville, Tennessee
Jefferson, Thomas - Charlottesville Lodge No. 90, Charlottesville, Virginia
Johnson, Andrew - Greenville Lodge No. 119, Greenville, Tennessee
Madison, James - Hiram Lodge, Westmoreland County, Virginia
McKinley, William - Hiran Lodge No. 21, Winchester, New York
Monroe, James - Williamsburg Lodge No. 6, Williamsburg, Virginia
Polk, James K. - Lodge No. 31, Columbia, Tennessee
Roosevelt, Franklin D. - Holland Lodge No. 8, New York City
Roosevelt, Theodore - Matinecock Lodge No. 806, Oyster Bay, New York
Taft, William Howard - Occasional Lodge, Cincinnati, Ohio
Truman, Harry S. - Belton Lodge No. 450, Missouri
Washington, George - Fredericksburg Lodge, Fredericksburg, Virginia

U.S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICES
Baldwin, Henry
Black, Hugo L. - Birmingham Temple Lodge No. 836, Birmingham, AL
Blair, Jr., John
Blatchford, Samuel
Burton, Harold H.
Byrnes, James F.
Catton, John
Clark, Thomas C.
Clarke, John H.
Cushing, William - St. Andrews Lodge, Boston
Davis, David
Devanter, Willis Van
Douglas, William O.
Ellsworth, Oliver - Chief Justice
Field, Stephen J.
Harlan, John M.
Jackson, Robert H.
Jay, John - Chief Justice (1789-1795)
Lamar, Joseph E.
Marshall, John - Chief Justice (1801-1835) - Grand Master of Virginia (1793 & 1794)
Marshall, Thurgood
Mathews, Stanley
McLean, John
Minton, Sherman
Moody, William H.
Nelson, Samuel
Paterson, William
Pitney, Mahlon
Reed, Stanley F.
Rutledge, John - Chief Justice
Stewart, Potter
Story, Joseph
Swayne, Noah H.
Taft, William H. - Chief Justice
Todd, Thomas
Trimble, Robert
Van Devanter, Willis
Vinson, Frederick M.
Warren, Earl - Chief Justice
Woodbury, Levi
Woods, William B.

WORLD LEADERS
Abbott, Sir John J.C. - Prime Minister of Canada 1891-92
Aguinaldo, Emilio - Phillippine Patriot and General
Aleman, Miguel - Mexican president 1947-52)
Benes, Eduard - President of Czechoslovakia 1939-48)
Bennett, Viscount R.B. - Prime Minister of Canada 1930-35
Bjornsson, Sveinn - 1st President of Iceland
Bolivar, Simon - Liberator of South America
Bonaparte, Napolean and his four brothers
Borden, Sir Robert L. - Prime Minister of Canada 1911-1920
Bowell, Sir Mackenzie - Prime Minister of Canada 1894-1896
Burke, Edmund - Irish-born British politician and writer
Canning, George - British Prime Minister 1827
Churchill, Lord Randolph - British politician who led the so-called Fourth Party
Churchill, Winston S. - former Prime Minister, United Kingdom
Diefenbaker, John G. - Prime Minister of Canada 1957-63
Edward VII
Edward VIII
Francis II - Holy Roman Emperor 1768-1806
Frederick The Great - King of Prussia 1740-86
George I - King of Greece 1845 - 1913
George II - King of Greece 1922 - 194
George VI - King of England during W.W. II
Gustavus VI Adolphus - King of Sweden 1792 - 1809
King Charles XIII - King of Sweden 1748-1818
Leopold I - King of Belgium 1831-65
MacDonald, Sir John A. - Prime Minister of Canada 1867-73 & 1878-91
Peter the Great - Emperor of Russia 1689 - 1725
Rhodes, Cecil - Prime Minister of Cape Colony 1890
William I - King of Prussia 1861 - 1888
William II - King of the Netherlands 1792 - 1849
William IV - King of England 1830-37

WRITERS
Burns, Robert - National Poet of Scotland; St. David’s Lodge No. 174, Tarbolton, Scotland.
Clemens, Samuel L. - Mark Twain - Polar Star Lodge No. 79, St. Louis, MO
Collodi, Carlo - “Pinocchio”
Doyle, Sir Author Conan - Sherlock Holmes
Gibbon, Edward - “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire”
Goethe, Wolgang von
Gray, Harold Lincoln - Creator of “Little Orphan Annie”
Guest, Edgar A. - Poet; “The Lambskin Apron” - a 33 Degree Mason.
Henson, Reverend Josiah - Inspired the novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”
Kipling, Rudyard
Pope, Alexander - Writer
Pushkin, Alexander - Russian poet
Schiller, Friedrich
Scott, Sir Walter
Shakespeare, William
Swift, Johathan - “Gulliver’s Travels” - Goat-at-the-Foot-of-the-Haymarket No. 16, England
Voltaire - French writer and philosopher
Wallace, Lewis - “Ben Hur”
Wilde, Oscar