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Masonic Presidents
by Ymelda Rivera Laxton, Assistant Curator, Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library
How Freemasonry relates to United States history is the subject of countless publications (both fiction and non-fiction), exhibitions, and films. One of the most common inquiries we receive at the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library is, “How many U.S. presidents have been Freemasons?” The answer is 14, meaning that there is conclusive evidence that 14 presidents received the Master Mason degree. Here is an outline of these presidential Masonic affiliations accompanied by a selection of related items from the Museum & Library collection.
George Washington
(1732-1799) 1st President Presidential Term: 1789-1797 George Washington was initiated into Fredericksburg Lodge No. 4, in Fredericksburg, Virginia, in 1752. In 1788, Alexandria Lodge No. 22 in Virginia, composed largely of Revolutionary War officers, applied for a
charter from the Grand Lodge of Virginia and petitioned Washington to be their founding Master, a position he held for nearly two years, from April 1788 to December 1789. Washington was the first and only United States president to also serve as leader of a lodge while in office. Washington is arguably the most recognizable and famous Freemason in American history. Many printmakers produced work celebrating Washington's Masonic career; other artists created memorial folk art to commemorate Washington’s legacy.
Cigar Band Plate, 1890-1920. United States. Gift of Milton and Berry Walter, 2005.006
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Between 1880 and 1910, an unknown artisan fashioned this glass plate into a collage portrait of George Washington as a Mason using paper cigar bands and paper cut-outs of him. In the early 1900s, individuals started to create folk art using cigar bands and colorful prints. “Cigar band art,” as this craft was described, was used to decorate ceramics, glassware, and jewelry. Washington’s posture and the regalia he wears suggest the print at the center of the plate was modeled after Currier & Ives’s 1868 print, Washington as a Freemason.
James Monroe
(1758-1831) 5th President Presidential Term: 1817-1825 In 1775, James Monroe affiliated with Williamsburg Lodge No. 6 in Williamsburg, Virginia. Tradition relates that Monroe was also affiliated with a military lodge, possibly St. John’s Regimental Lodge No. 1, though evidence of this is unclear.
Andrew Jackson
(1767-1845) 7th President Presidential Term: 1829-1837 Andrew Jackson was a member of Harmony Lodge No. 1 in Nashville, Tennessee. Seven years before he was elected president, Jackson served as the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Tennessee from 1822 to 1824. He was an Honorary Member of Federal Lodge No. 1, F. & A.M., Washington, D.C., and Jackson Lodge No. 1, F. & A.M., Tallahassee, Florida.
The Northern Light
