15 presidents of the United States of America:
George Washington (1732-1799) 1st.
initiated 11/4/1752 Fredericksburg Lodge No. 4, Virginia
James Monroe (1758-1831) 5th.
initiated 11/9/1775 Williamsburgh Lodge No. 6, Virginia
Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) 7th.
member Harmony Lodge No. 1; Grand Master 1822-24, Tennessee
James Knox Polk (1795-1849) 11th.
raised 9/4/1820 Columbia Lodge No. 31, Tennessee
member: Platte Lodge No. 56, Mo.
James Buchanan (1791-1868) 15th.
raised 1/24/1817 Lodge No. 43, Pennsylvania
Andrew Johnson (1808-1875) 17th.
initiated 1851, Greenville Lodge No. 119, Tennessee
James Abram Garfield , 20th.
raised 11/22/1864, Magnolia Lodge No. 20, Ohio
William McKinley (1843-1901) 25th.
raised 4/3/1865, Hiram Lodge No. 21, Virginia
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) 26th.
raised 4/24/1901, Matinecock Lodge No. 806, Oyster Bay
William Howard Taft (1857-1930) 27th.
made a mason at sight 2/18/1909.
affiliated Kilwinning Lodge 356, Ohio
Warren Gamaliel Harding (1865-1923) 29th.
raised 8/13/1920, Marion Lodge No. 70, Ohio
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945) 32nd.
raised Nov. 28. 1911,
Harry S Truman (1884-1972) 33rd.
initiated 02/09/1909, Belton Lodge No. 450
raised 03/18/1909, Belton Lodge No. 450
Lyndon Baines Johnson (EA) (1908-1973) 36th.
initiated October 30, 1937
Gerald Ford
raised May 18, 1951, Columbia Lodge No.3
Grand Lodge of Washington, D.C. courtesy to Malta Lodge No 465 Grand Lodge Michigan, Grand Rapids
(b) Signators to the USA Declaration of Independence (1776):
8 freemasons out of 56 total.
Benjamin Franklin
Deputy Grand Master, Pennsylvania
John Hancock
St. Andrew’s Lodge, Boston
Joseph Hewes
visited Unanimity Lodge No. 7, Edenton, North Carolina: Dec. 27 1776
William Hooper
Hanover Lodge, Masonborough, North Carolina
Robert Treat Payne
attended Grand Lodge, Roxbury, Mass.: June 26, 1759
Richard Stockton
charter Master, St. John’s Lodge, Princeton, New Jersey: 1765
George Walton
Solomon’s Lodge No. 1, Savannah, Georgia
William Whipple
St. John’s Lodge, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
(c) Signators to the USA Constitution (1789):
Out of the 55 delegates, 9 signers were confirmed freemasons; 5 non-signing delegates were freemasons; 6 later became freemasons; 13 delegates have been claimed as freemasons on apparently insufficient evidence; 22 were known not to be freemasons.
9 freemasons out of 40 total.
George Washington
raised: Fredericksburg Lodge, Virginia: 1753
Benjamin Franklin
Lodge at Tun Tavern, Philadelphia: 1731
Rufus King
St John’s Lodge, Newburyport, Massachusetts
John Blair
First Grand Master, Virginia. Williamsburg Lodge No. 6
Gunning Bedford Jr.
First Grand Master, Delaware. Lodge 14, Christina Ferry, Delaware.
John Dickinson
Lodge No. 18, Dover, Delaware: 1780
Jacob Broom
Lodge No. 14, Christina Ferry, Delaware, 1780
David Brearley
First Grand Master, New Jersey: 1787. Military Lodge No. 19
Daniel Caroll
St. John’s Lodge No. 20, Maryland: 1781, Lodge No. 16, Baltimore
Later became freemasons:
Jonathan Dayton
Temple No. 1, Elizabeth Town, New Jersey
James McHenry
Spiritual Lodge No. 23, Baltimore, Maryland: 1806
William Patterson
Trinity Lodge No. 5, New Jersey: 1788. Berkshire Lodge No. 5, Stockbridge, Ma
Insufficient evidence:
Nicholas Gilman
“Either he or his father of the same name was initiated in St. John’s Lodge No. 1 at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, March 20, 1777.”*
Roger Sherman (1721-1793)
Signed “Declaration of Independence,” “Articles of Association.” “Articles of Confederation,” and Federal “Constitution.” Although a masonic apron ascribed to him is in the archive collection of Yale University, there is no record of his masonic association.
(d) Signators of the USA Articles of Confederation (1781):
10 freemasons out of (?) total.
Benedict Arnold
affiliated Hiram Lodge No. 1. New Haven, Connecticut: 1765/04/18 [AQC vol 80, pp. 120-2.]
(e) Generals in George Washington’s Continental Army:
31 freemasons out of 63 total.
Nicholas Herkimer (1715-1777), St. Patrick’s Lodge, Johnstown, New York
Morgan Lewis, Grand Master, New York
Jacob Morton, Grand Master, New York
Israel Putnam (1718-1790)
Rufus Putnam (1738-1824), Master, American Union Lodge
Baron von Steuben (1730-1794), Trinity Lodge No. 10, New York City
John Sullivan (1740-1796), Grand Master, New Hampshire
Joseph Warren (1741-1775), Massachusetts Provincial Grand Master
David Wooster (1710-177), Master, Hiram Lodge No. 1, Connecticut
(Note Gould’s History of Freemasonry mistakenly repeated C. W. Moore’s claim that all but Benedict Arnold were freemasons. vol. iv p 24 1885)
(f) Presidents of the Continental Congresses (1774-89):
4 freemasons out of (?) total.
Peyton Randolph of Virginia (1st)
John Hancock of Massachusetts (3rd )
Henry Laurens of South Carolina
Arthur St. Clair of Pennsylvania.
(g) Governors of the thirteen colonies during the Continental Congress:
10 freemasons out of 30 total.
(h) Chief Justices of the United States:
Oliver Ellsworth
John Marshall (also Grand Master of Virginia)
William Howard Taft
Frederick M. Vinson
Earl Warren (also Grand Master of California.)
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