My Freemasonry | Freemason Information and Discussion Forum

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

U.S. Presidents Affiliated With Freemasonry

Blake Bowden

Administrator
Staff Member
_______________________________________
George Washington, First U.S. President, 1789-1797

gw.jpg

George Washington served as the first President of the United States of America. He was inaugurated on April 30, 1789 and served two terms as President. Born in 1732, Washington was initiated on November 4, 1752, passed on March 3, 1753, and raised a Master Mason on August 4, 1753 in Fredericksburg Lodge, Virginia. He would serve as the Commander in Chief of the Continental Armies during the Revolutionary War. In 1788, Washington was appointed Charter Master of Alexandria Lodge No. 22, Virginia during the organization of the lodge and in December 1788, he was elected Master. There is no evidence that he was ever installed or presided over any meetings of this lodge. While President, he would act as Grand Master in leveling the cornerstone of the U.S Capitol in Washington, D.C. on September 18, 1793. During his life, Washington was somewhat active and supportive of Freemasonry. He died on December 14, 1799, less than three years following his second term as President.
________________________________________
James Monroe, Fifth U.S. President, 1817-1825

James+Monroe.jpg

James Monroe was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia in 1758. Monroe attended the College of William and Mary, fought with distinction in the Continental Army, and practiced law in Fredericksburg, Virginia. There is some dispute regarding the Masonic affiliation of Bro. Monroe due to the loss of lodge records. It appears that he was initiated on November 9, 1775 in St. John’s Regimental Lodge in the Continental Army. He later affiliated with Williamsburg Lodge No. 6 in Williamsburg, Virginia. There are no known records to confirm his advancement through the degrees but there is evidence that Monroe was received as a Master Mason during a visit to a Tennessee lodge in 1819. It is interesting to note that Bro. Monroe was not yet eighteen when initiated indicating the concept of “lawful age†had not been universally fixed at twenty-one at this time. Like Washington, Monroe would serve two terms as President. He died on July 4, 1831 in New York.
________________________________________
Andrew Jackson, Seventh U.S. President, 1829-1837

james-polk1.jpg

Born in the backwoods settlement of Waxhaw, South Carolina on March 15, 1767, Andrew Jackson received sporadic education. But in his late teens he read law for about two years, and he became an outstanding young lawyer in Tennessee. Fiercely jealous of his honor, he engaged in brawls, and in a duel killed a man who cast an unjustified slur on his wife Rachel. A major general in the War of 1812, Jackson became a national hero when he defeated the British at New Orleans. The Masonic record of Brother Jackson has not been located though there is no doubt he was a Mason. He appears to have been a member of St. Tammany Lodge No. 29, Nashville, Tennessee, as early as 1800. The lodge name was later changed to Harmony Lodge No. 1 on November 1, 1800. Brother Jackson is officially listed as a member in the Lodge Returns to the Grand Lodge of Tennessee for 1805. Very active in Freemasonry, Brother Jackson was a Grand Master of Masons in Tennessee, serving from October 1822 until October 1824. Jackson served two terms as President from 1829 until 1837. He died on June 8, 1845 at the Hermitage near Nashville, Tennessee.
________________________________________
James K. Polk, Eleventh U.S. President, 1845-1849

james-polk1.jpg

James K. Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, on November 2, 1795. Studious and industrious, Polk was graduated with honors in 1818 from the University of North Carolina. As a young lawyer he entered politics, served in the Tennessee legislature, and became a friend of Andrew Jackson. Brother Polk was initiated in Columbia Lodge No. 31 on June 5, 1820 located in Columbia, Tennessee. He would be passed and raised in this lodge though the actual dates are unknown. In 1825 he was exalted a Royal Arch Mason in LaFayette Chapter No. 4 located in Columbia. Polk would serve as the Governor of Tennessee from 1839 through 1841 prior to his election as President of the United States. He would serve one term as President from 1845 to 1849. He left office in poor health and died a few months later on June 15, 1849 in Nashville, Tennessee.
________________________________________
James A. Buchanan, Fifteenth U.S. President, 1857-1861

220px-James_Buchanan.jpg

Born in Cove Gap near Mercersburg, Pennsylvania into a well-to-do Pennsylvania family on April 23, 1791, James A. Buchanan, a graduate of Dickinson College, was gifted as a debater and learned in the law. Tall, stately, and stiffly formal, he was the only President who never married. Brother Buchanan was initiated on December 11, 1816, passed and raised in Lancaster Lodge No. 43 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He served as Master of his lodge from 1822 to 1823. In 1824, he was appointed District Deputy Grand Master for the Counties of Lancaster, Lebanon and York. His tenure as President was fraught with controversy surrounding the issues of states rights and slavery. Inaugurated in 1857, Buchanan retired from the Presidency after one term in office and returned to Lancaster, Pennsylvania where he died on June 1, 1868.
________________________________________
Andrew Johnson, Seventeenth U.S. President, 1865-1869

20050710030609!President_Andrew_Johnson_standing.jpg

Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, on December 29, 1808, Johnson grew up in poverty. He was apprenticed to a tailor as a boy, but ran away. He opened a tailor shop in Greeneville, Tennessee, married Eliza McCardle, and participated in debates at the local academy. Entering politics, he became an adept stump speaker, championing the common man. Johnson became a Mason in 1851 when he was initiated, passed, and raised in Greenville Lodge No. 119 located at Greenville, Tennessee. Following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865, the Presidency fell upon Vice-President Johnson, an old-fashioned southern Jacksonian Democrat. Although an honest and honorable man, Andrew Johnson was one of the most unfortunate of Presidents. Arrayed against him were the Radical Republicans in Congress, brilliantly led and ruthless in their tactics. In 1867, the House of Representatives voted eleven articles of impeachment against him. He was tried by the Senate in the spring of 1868 and acquitted by one vote. While serving as President, he received the Scottish Rite degrees during 1867. Johnson left the White House in 1869 after serving almost four years as President completing Lincoln’s second term. Johnson died on July 31, 1875 in Carter's Station, Tennessee.
________________________________________
James A. Garfield, Twentieth U.S. President, 1881

garfield.JPG

James A. Garfield was born in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, on November 19, 1831. Fatherless at two, he later drove canal boat teams, somehow earning enough money for an education. He was graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts in 1856, and he returned to the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute (later Hiram College) in Ohio as a classics professor. Within a year he was made its president. Garfield was initiated on November 19, 1861 in Magnolia Lodge No. 20 in Columbus, Ohio. Owing to Civil War duties, Brother Garfield did not receive the Third Degree until November 22, 1864 in Columbus Lodge No. 30 in Columbus, Ohio. On October 10, 1866, he affiliated with Garrettsville Lodge No. 246 in Garrettsville, Ohio. Brother Garfield became a Charter Member of Pentalpha Lodge No. 23 of Washington, D.C. on May 4, 1869. Garfield was elected President in 1880 by a margin of only 10,000 popular votes and was inaugurated on March 4, 1881. His Presidency was cut short when an embittered attorney who had sought a consular post shot him on July 2, 1881, in a Washington railroad station. Mortally wounded, Garfield died on September 19, 1881 from the gunshot wound.
________________________________________
William McKinley, Twenty-Fifth U.S. President, 1897-1901

mc.jpg

Born in Niles, Ohio, on January 29, 1843, McKinley briefly attended Allegheny College, and was teaching in a country school when the Civil War broke out. Enlisting as a private in the Union Army, he was mustered out at the end of the war as a brevet major of volunteers. He studied law, opened an office in Canton, Ohio, and married Ida Saxton, daughter of a local banker. McKinley was initiated, passed, and raised in Hiram Lodge No. 21 located in Winchester, Virginia during 1865. He affiliated with Canton Lodge No. 60 in Canton, Ohio on 1867 and later demitted to become a Charter Member of Eagle Lodge No. 431, also in Canton. McKinley was elected Governor of Ohio in 1891 and served two terms from 1892 to 1896. He was inaugurated as President in 1897 and was elected to a second term in 1900. McKinley’s second term as President came to a tragic end in September 1901. While attending the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York he was shot by a deranged man. McKinley would die eight days later on September 14, 1901, becoming the second Masonic President to be assassinated.
________________________________________
Theodore Roosevelt, Twenty-Sixth U.S. President, 1901-1909

rt.jpg

With the assassination of President McKinley in 1901, Theodore Roosevelt, not quite 43, became the youngest President in the Nation's history. He brought new excitement and power to the Presidency as he vigorously led Congress and the American public toward progressive reforms and a strong foreign policy. He was born in New York City on October 27, 1858 into a wealthy family. Though he suffered from ill health as a youth, he was an avid outdoorsman and conservationist. During the Spanish-American War, Roosevelt was lieutenant colonel of the Rough Rider Regiment, which he led on a charge at the battle of San Juan. He was elected Governor of New York in 1898, serving with distinction. Assuming the Presidency in September 1901, Roosevelt received the three degrees in Matinecock Lodge No. 806 in Oyster Bay, New York during the year. He was very supportive of Freemasonry during the remainder of his life. Following the completion of McKinley’s term, Roosevelt was elected to a second term in his own right and served as President through 1909. Roosevelt died on January 6, 1919 in Oyster Bay.
________________________________________
William H. Taft, Twenty-Seventh U.S. President, 1909-1913

taft.jpg

William Howard Taft was born on September 15, 1857 in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of a distinguished judge. He was graduated from Yale and returned to Cincinnati to study and practice law. He rose in politics through judiciary appointments earned through his own competence and availability. Brother Taft was made a "Mason at Sight" within the Body of Kilwinning Lodge No. 356 located in Cincinnati, Ohio on February 18, 1909. Taft’s father and two brothers were also members of this Lodge. After the ceremony, 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." Taft was a distinguished jurist and an effective administrator but a poor politician. Large, jovial, and conscientious, Taft was inaugurated as President in 1909, and spent four uncomfortable years in the White House caught in the intense battles between the political factions of Washington. Taft’s term ended in 1913 and, free of the Presidency, served as Professor of Law at Yale until Brother and President Warren G. Harding made him Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, a position he held until just before his death on March 8, 1930 in Washington, D.C.
________________________________________
Warren G. Harding, Twenty-Ninth U.S. President, 1921-1923

wh.jpg

Warren G. Harding was born near Marion, Ohio, on November 2, 1865. An active civic leader, he became the publisher of a newspaper. He was a trustee of the Trinity Baptist Church, a director of almost every important business, and a leader in fraternal organizations and charitable enterprises. Harding was initiated in Freemasonry on June 28, 1901 in Marion Lodge No. 70 located in Marion, Ohio. Because of some personal antagonism, Brother Harding's advancement 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. Harding won the Presidential election of 1920 by an unprecedented landslide of 60 percent of the popular vote. By 1923 the post World War I depression was giving way to a new wave of prosperity and newspapers proclaimed Harding as a wise statesman. However, word began to reach Harding that some of his friends were using their official positions for personal enrichment. This alarmed and worried Harding but he feared the political repercussions of exposing the scandals. Looking wan and depressed, Harding journeyed westward in the summer of 1923 carrying the burden of revealing the corruption. Unfortunately, he did not live to find out how the public would react to the scandals of his administration. On August 2, 1923, Harding died in San Francisco of a heart attack.
________________________________________
Franklin D. Roosevelt, Thirty-Second U.S. President, 1933-1945

fdr.jpg

Franklin D. Roosevelt was born on January 30, 1882 at Hyde Park, New York. He attended Harvard University and Columbia Law School. On St. Patrick's Day, 1905, he married Eleanor Roosevelt. Roosevelt entered public service through politics, serving in several state and federal positions before being elected Governor of New York in 1928. In the summer of 1921, at the age of 39, he was stricken with poliomyelitis. Demonstrating indomitable courage, Roosevelt fought to regain the use of his legs, particularly through swimming. Roosevelt received the three degrees in Masonry within Holland Lodge No. 8 located in New York City in 1911. During his lifetime he was supportive of Freemasonry and somewhat active in the fraternity. He was elected President in November 1932 to the first of four terms spanning the Great Depression to World War II. His tenure as President was a period of great social and political change in the United States. Assuming the Presidency at the depth of the Great Depression, he brought hope to the American people as he promised prompt, vigorous action, and asserted in his Inaugural Address, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Roosevelt directed organization of the Nation's manpower and resources for global war. During this period he directed the war effort but also contemplated the planning of a United Nations in which international difficulties could be resolved. As the war drew to a close, Roosevelt's health deteriorated, and on April 12, 1945, while at Warm Springs, Georgia, he died of a cerebral hemorrhage at the beginning of his fourth term as President.
________________________________________
Harry S. Truman, Thirty-Third U.S. President, 1945-1953

truman.jpg

Harry S. Truman was born in Lamar, Missouri, in 1884. He grew up in Independence, and for 12 years prospered as a Missouri farmer. He went to France during World War I as a captain in the Field Artillery. Returning, he married Elizabeth Virginia Wallace, and opened a haberdashery in Kansas City. A very active Freemason, Truman received his Masonic degrees in Belton Lodge No. 450 in Grandview, Missouri in 1909. In 1911, Truman and several other Masons organized Grandview Lodge No. 618 and Truman served as the first Master of the Lodge. In 1940, Truman was elected Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Missouri and would serve as such until October 1941. Truman became a U.S Senator in 1934 and was active in monitoring the war effort while in the Senate. Brother Franklin D. Roosevelt chose Truman to be his Vice-Presidential candidate in the 1944 elections, which Roosevelt won. During his few weeks as Vice President, Truman scarcely saw President Roosevelt, and received no briefing on the development of the atomic bomb or the unfolding difficulties with Soviet Russia. Suddenly these and a host of other wartime problems became Truman's to solve when, on April 12, 1945, he became President upon the death of Roosevelt. He told reporters, "I felt like the moon, the stars, and all the planets had fallen on me." As President, Truman made some of the most crucial decisions in history. Soon after V-E Day, the war against Japan had reached its final stage. An urgent plea to Japan to surrender was rejected. Truman, after consultations with his advisers, ordered atomic bombs dropped on cities devoted to war work. Two were Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Japanese surrender quickly followed in 1945. In 1948, campaigning against the backdrop of crises in foreign affairs around the globe, Truman won a term as President in his own right. Deciding not to run for a second term, Truman retired from the Presidency in 1953 and returned to Independence, Missouri where he died on December 26, 1972 at the age of 88.
________________________________________
Gerald R. Ford, Thirty-Eighth U.S. President, 1974-1977

ford.jpg

Born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1913, Gerald R. Ford grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He starred on the University of Michigan football team, and then went to Yale where he served as assistant coach while earning his law degree. During World War II he attained the rank of lieutenant commander in the Navy. After the war he returned to Grand Rapids, where he began the practice of law, and entered Republican politics. In 1948 he was elected to Congress where he developed a reputation for integrity and openness. That reputation made him popular during his twenty-five years in Congress where he served as House Minority Leader from 1965 to 1973. Ford was initiated in Freemasonry on September 30, 1949 in Malta Lodge No. 465 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In 1951 he received the passed and raised a Master Mason in Columbia Lodge No. 3 in Washington, D.C. as a courtesy for Malta Lodge while Ford served in Congress. When Ford took the oath of office as President on August 9, 1974, he declared, "I assume the Presidency under extraordinary circumstances.... This is an hour of history that troubles our minds and hurts our hearts." It was indeed an unprecedented time. He had been the first Vice President chosen under the terms of the Twenty-fifth Amendment and, in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, was succeeding the first President ever to resign. President Ford won the Republican nomination for the Presidency in 1976, but lost the election to his Democratic opponent.
________________________________________
Lyndon Baines Johnson, Thirty-Sixth U.S. President, 1963-1969

Lyndon%20B%20Johnson.gif

Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th President, was born on August 27, 1908, on a farm near Stonewall, Texas. He was sworn in as the Chief Executive on November 22, 1963, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. A year later, running against the Republican nominee, Senator and Brother Barry Goldwater of Arizona, he won a landslide victory, to serve as President for the four-year term, January, 1965; January ,1969. He declined to run for re-election in 1968.

On October 30, 1937, he was initiated an Entered Apprentice in Johnson City, Texas. He never advanced. A week after his initiation he won an election for Representative in Congress and began a very busy political career in Washington which lasted until his retirement from the Presidency in January of 1969.

The opinion among Masons is divided as to whether he should be regarded as a Masonic President, since he never achieved the status of Master Mason. Masonic law in Texas declares that “Entered Apprentices and Fellowcrafts are Masons,†although denied certain rights and privileges, Lyndon B. Johnson was accepted and initiated in a Masonic Lodge, and at that time was addressed as “Brother.â€
________________________________________
William Jefferson Clinton, Forty-Second U.S. President, 1993-2001

bill-clinton-2-240.jpg

Who knew that an Arkansas DeMolay would go on to lead the country as 42nd President of the United States?

Bill Clinton was born William Jefferson Blythe IV on August 19, 1946, in Hope, Arkansas, three months after his father died in a traffic accident. When he was four years old, his mother wed Roger Clinton, of Hot Springs, Arkansas. In high school, he took his step-father’s name. Clinton excelled in academics and was a talented saxophone player. At one time, he considered becoming a professional musician. In high school, while serving as a delegate to Boys Nation, he met President John Kennedy, which lead to his desire to become a public servant.
 
Last edited:

Ashley623

Registered User
There are so many people of great power and success that are all masons. But why is it all such a very big secret? I mean these brothers go back centuries and even our US Capital is largely based on the Freemason symbols by the placing of each building. The all seeing eye is the Scottish Masonic lodge in Washington DC and the fact that most greatness began from being a mason is a big deal. So. Just wonder why so much secrecy.
 

JohnnyFlotsam

Premium Member
There are so many people of great power and success that are all masons. But why is it all such a very big secret? I mean these brothers go back centuries and even our US Capital is largely based on the Freemason symbols by the placing of each building. The all seeing eye is the Scottish Masonic lodge in Washington DC and the fact that most greatness began from being a mason is a big deal. So. Just wonder why so much secrecy.

My friend,
From your statements, it seems that you have taken at face value at least some of the more common myths about Freemasonry, the U.S. government, and Washington, D.C. The fact that The House of the Temple (the headquarters for The Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction) is in plain site and open to the public ought to be a big clue that there's not much secrecy going on. Virtually every Masonic Lodge in every town in the U.S. is listed in the phone book. I could go on, but the fact of the matter is that we have a few things that, as Masons, we have promised to keep "secret", and those you could, with very little effort, discover for yourself. You see, the nature of these secrets is inconsequential, but for a Freemason it is the keeping of those secrets that is of profound importance.
 

jessefleay

Registered User
I agree entirely with this statement; be wary of those who merge selected facts with fiction, in order to make some money on a book or DVD sale. If you want to find out more about Freemasonry, ask a mason. He would tell you that it is an excellent and charitable organisation.

My friend,
From your statements, it seems that you have taken at face value at least some of the more common myths about Freemasonry, the U.S. government, and Washington, D.C. The fact that The House of the Temple (the headquarters for The Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction) is in plain site and open to the public ought to be a big clue that there's not much secrecy going on. Virtually every Masonic Lodge in every town in the U.S. is listed in the phone book. I could go on, but the fact of the matter is that we have a few things that, as Masons, we have promised to keep "secret", and those you could, with very little effort, discover for yourself. You see, the nature of these secrets is inconsequential, but for a Freemason it is the keeping of those secrets that is of profound importance.
 

SteveWolfe

Registered User
I am not inclined to believe the conspiracy theorists in regard to Freemasonry after having researched the issue myself. Anyone who does their own research and gets to know Freemasonry as well as I have, would also be inclined to not believe said conspiracy theorists, as well


Freemason Connect HD "Who wants to fight? Any animal can fight. But to sing of beautiful things, and make people believe them..."-Spartacus
 

japool

Registered User
Wasn't Ronald Reagan made an honorary member of the Scottish Rite or something like that?



Sent From My Freemasonry Pro App
 

Companion Joe

Premium Member
I apologize for this being extremely lengthy. I am work on a lodge history, and this is an excerpt from my book. I have the fortune of belonging to a lodge that was without question the home lodge of one U.S. President and where a second likely received his degrees.

I hope you find this enlightening. Please feel free to comment or point out any errors. It's still in the first draft stage.

-----

Obviously, the most prominent member of Greeneville Lodge No. 3 is Brother Andrew Johnson. It’s not every Lodge that can claim a President of the United States as a member. In fact, Greeneville is one of only 14 lodges across the nation that can do so (excluding dual memberships, transfers, etc.).

Johnson received his degrees in in 1851 and was a member when he passed to the Celestial Lodge Above in 1875. He would have received his degrees when the Lodge met in third story of a brick storehouse located at the southwest corner of Main and Summer streets, located across and diagonally from what would become Johnson’s homestead following his Presidency until his death.

Today, a mural of Johnson dressed in Knights Templar regalia looks over the site from across the street. The mural is painted on the building that was home to Greeneville Lodge No. 3 from 1908-1974.

Johnson was born in Raleigh, N.C., on Dec. 29, 1908 and as a young man came to Greeneville, where he opened a tailor shop. From humble beginnings, Johnson rose through the political ranks from alderman and mayor of Greeneville to state representative and senator to Governor of Tennessee to United States Congressman and Senator to Vice President and ultimately the 17[SUP]th[/SUP] President of the United States of America. Following his Presidency, Johnson was again elected U.S. Senator and to this day is still the only former President to hold that distinction.

The exact dates of Johnson’s three degrees were lost during the destruction of Lodge records during the Civil War. Some sources indicate he was initiated an Entered Apprentice Mason on May 5, 1851 (www.mn-masons.org). He was a Royal Arch Mason and Knight Templar. He probably would not have received these degrees in Greeneville as Capitular Masonry officially came to town while Johnson was living in the White House, and the first local Commandery wasn’t chartered until after his death.

Johnson was also a Scottish Rite Mason, receiving the degrees while living in the White House on June 20, 1867 (Snodgrass, p. 389).

Johnson was proud of his Masonic affiliations and did not hide the fact. He even declared a holiday for Masons employed by the federal government on Nov. 20, 1866 so they could attend the laying of a cornerstone at a new Lodge hall in Baltimore.

He canceled a Cabinet meeting so he could attend the event himself. (Schroeder-Lein, Zuczek ; p. 182). Johnson was reportedly offered a chair at the event, in consideration to his office as President of the United States, but he declined, saying “We meet on the level.” This was one of many Masonic functions Johnson attended while President, even going as far as marching in parades, no different than any other Brother.

Johnson died July 31, 1875. He was given full Masonic honors at his funeral in downtown Greeneville, and his body was escorted to its final resting place by Knights Templar in full uniform.

It is unclear how much involvement Johnson had with his local Lodge in Greeneville. He was never elected Worshipful Master of the Lodge. It is interesting to note that in the 1914 Lodge history, written at a time when some of the older members undoubtedly sat in Lodge with and knew Johnson, only 10 lines are dedicated to the former U.S. President. A much more glowing biography is written about Samuel Milligan, who was a Tennessee Supreme Court Justice and friend of Johnson.

Johnson wasn’t the only United States President to sit in Lodge in Greeneville. Although it is unable to be confirmed whether or not he was a member of the Lodge, prominent Tennessean and future president Andrew Jackson is known to have been present on Sept. 5, 1801, sitting in the West as Senior Warden when the Lodge was still meeting under dispensation from the Grand Lodge of North Carolina.

It is beyond dispute that Jackson was a one-time member of Harmony Lodge No. 1 in Nashville and that he served two terms as Grand Master before going on to the Presidency of the United States. Precisely when and where Jackson received the three degrees of Freemasonry isn’t clear with 100 percent certainty. Lodge history suggests it very well could have been Greeneville Lodge No. 3.

As a young man, Jackson lived and worked as a lawyer in nearby Jonesborough. If he received his degrees while there, as is believed, Greeneville was the only Masonic Lodge in the region, and there would be no other viable candidate for where he was made a Mason. A brief mention of Jackson’s affiliation to Greeneville Lodge No. 3 is made in passing in Andrew Johnson: A Biographical Companion (page 182).

The following is an excerpt from the 1914 Greeneville Lodge No. 3 history approved by the Grand Lodge. Although the brothers who wrote that history would not have been around during Jackson’s day, if they were on up in years at the time of publication, when they were young Masons they very possibly could have received the information from an older Brother who did have a first-hand account of the same. It reads:

“Andrew Jackson received all three degrees in this Lodge and had the honor of presiding at several meetings of the Lodge pro tem. For proof of this, see the statements on page 274 and page 293 in our minute book, beginning January 2, 1905. The dates when he received the degrees cannot now be given, for the reasons already stated, but it is most likely that he took them while he resided at Jonesboro, Tenn., as this was the nearest Lodge to him at that time, and would have been while the Lodge was working under dispensation from North Carolina, or soon after it was chartered, and while the Lodge was held in the house of William Dunwoody. He also presided as Master of the Lodge on a few occasions when he was passing through this town, going to and returning from Washington City, after he had moved to Davidson County, Tenn., and which was likely between 1824 and 1826, after he had been Grand Master of Tennessee, during his campaigns for the Presidency, and while the Lodge was held in the old Male Academy.” (McKee; p 32.)

Further belief that Jackson was made a Mason in Greeneville Lodge No. 3 can be found in The Builder: A Journal for the Masonic Student, Volume 6 (dated 1920; published monthly by The National Masonic Research Society in Anamos, Iowa). If fact, the publication states emphatically, “…it is certain that he received his degrees in old Greeneville Lodge, located in Greeneville, Tennessee.” and “… there is not the least doubt to this.” (p. 258)

More corroboration to Greeneville being the site of Jackson’s degrees is offered in the October 2002 edition of The Scottish Rite Journal. “The exact date on which Andrew Jackson was made a Mason is not known, but The Builder in 1925 states: ‘The claim of Greeneville Lodge No. 3 of Tenn. (formerly No. 43 of N.C.) seems to be the most weighty.’” (Demott).

Whether or not Jackson received the three degrees in Greeneville we will likely never know. Because Masonic records were neglected or perhaps even intentionally disposed of during the anti-Masonic fervor following the Morgan Affair and because records fell victim to destruction and theft both in Greeneville and across the state during the Civil War, the facts and details are lost to the ages.

All three of Tennessee’s Presidents – Johnson, Jackson and James K. Polk – were Masons, and two of the three have documented connections to Greeneville Lodge No. 3.
 

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
My friend,
From your statements, it seems that you have taken at face value at least some of the more common myths about Freemasonry, the U.S. government, and Washington, D.C. The fact that The House of the Temple (the headquarters for The Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Southern Jurisdiction) is in plain site and open to the public ought to be a big clue that there's not much secrecy going on. Virtually every Masonic Lodge in every town in the U.S. is listed in the phone book. I could go on, but the fact of the matter is that we have a few things that, as Masons, we have promised to keep "secret", and those you could, with very little effort, discover for yourself. You see, the nature of these secrets is inconsequential, but for a Freemason it is the keeping of those secrets that is of profound importance.
Very well said brother.
 
Top