List of presidents of the United States who were Freemasons

Since the office was established in 1789, 45[lower-alpha 1] persons have served as President of the United States. Of these, 14 (around 31%) are known to have been freemasons, beginning with the nation's first president, George Washington, and most recently the 38th president, Gerald R. Ford.

List

The following U.S. presidents were freemasons:[1]

Name Presidency Details
George Washington
(1732–1799)		 1st • April 30, 1789 –
         March 4, 1797		 Initiated on November 4, 1752 in Fredericksburgh Lodge No. 4, Fredericksburg, Virginia. Elected Worshipful Master on December 20, 1788.
James Monroe
(1758–1831)		 5th • March 4, 1817 –
         March 4, 1825		 Initiated on November 9, 1775 in Williamsburg Lodge No. 6, Williamsburg, Virginia at the age of 17 while he studied at the College of William & Mary.
Andrew Jackson
(1767–1845)		 7th • March 4, 1829 –
         March 4, 1837		 Member of St. Tammany (later Harmony) Lodge No. 1, Nashville, Tennessee. Elected Grand Master of Tennessee on October 7, 1822 and served until October 4, 1824.
James K. Polk
(1795–1849)		 11th • March 4, 1845 –
           March 4, 1849		 Initiated on June 5, 1820 in Columbia Lodge No. 31, Columbia, Tennessee.
James Buchanan
(1791–1868)		 15th • March 4, 1857 –
           March 4, 1861		 Initiated on December 1l, 1816 in Lodge No. 43, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Appointed District Deputy Grand Master for the Counties of Lancaster, Lebanon and York in 1824.
Andrew Johnson
(1808–1875)		 17th • April 15, 1865 –
           March 4, 1869		 Initiated on May 5, 1851 in Greenville Lodge No. 119, Greenville, Tennessee.
James A. Garfield
(1831–1881)		 20th • March 4, 1881 –
           September 19, 1881		 Initiated on November 19, 1861 in Magnolia Lodge No. 20, Columbus, Ohio and raised on November 22, 1864 in Columbus Lodge No. 30. Joined Garrettsville Lodge No. 246, Garrettsville, Ohio in 1866 and was its Chaplain for the years 1868-69. Charter Member of Pentalpha Lodge No. 23, Washington, D.C.
William McKinley
(1843–1901)		 25th • March 4, 1897 –
           September 14, 1901		 Initiated on May 1, 1865 in Hiram Lodge No. 21, Winchester, Virginia. Joined Canton Lodge No. 60, Canton, Ohio in 1867. Charter member of Eagle (later William McKinley) Lodge No. 431, also in Canton.
Theodore Roosevelt
(1858–1919)		 26th • September 14, 1901 –
           March 4, 1909		 Initiated on January 2, 1901 in Matinecock Lodge No. 806, Oyster Bay, New York.
William H. Taft
(1857–1930)		 27th • March 4, 1909 –
           March 4, 1913		 Made a Mason at Sight on February 18, 1909 in Kilwinning Lodge No. 356, Cincinnati, Ohio
Warren G. Harding
(1865–1923)		 29th • March 4, 1921 –
           August 2, 1923		 Initiated on June 28, 1901 in Marion Lodge No. 70, Marion, Ohio. Raised on August 27, 1920 in that Lodge.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
(1882–1945)		 32nd • March 4, 1933 –
            April 12, 1945		 Initiated on October 11, 1911 in Holland Lodge No. 8, New York City. Made Honorary Grand Master of the Order of DeMolay on April 13, 1934.
Harry S. Truman
(1884–1972)		 33rd • April 12, 1945 –
           January 20, 1953		 Initiated on February 9, 1909 in Belton Lodge No. 450, Belton, Missouri. First Worshipful Master of Grandview Lodge No. 618, Grandview, Missouri in 1911. Elected Grand Master of Missouri on September 25, 1940 and served until October 1, 1941. Received the 33rd Degree on October 19, 1945. Made Honorary Grand Master of the Order of DeMolay on May 18, 1959.
Gerald Ford
(1913–2006)		 38th • August 9, 1974 –
          January 20, 1977		 Initiated on September 30, 1949 in Malta Lodge No. 465, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Passed on April 20, 1951 and raised on May 18 of that year in Columbia Lodge No. 3, Washington, D.C. Received the 33rd Degree on September 26, 1962. Made Honorary Grand Master of the Order of DeMolay in April 1975.

In addition to the individuals listed above, Lyndon B. Johnson was initiated into the first degree of Freemasonry – "Entered Apprentice", October 30, 1937 in Johnson City Lodge No. 561, at Johnson City, Texas, but did not advance any further and did not become a full member of his lodge,[2] Ronald Reagan was made an honorary Freemason,[3] and as a youth, Bill Clinton was a member of the Order of DeMolay.[4] Also, there is speculation suggesting that Thomas Jefferson was a Freemason; however, there is no record of him being initiated into any lodge, nor are there any references to Masonic membership in his personal papers.[5]

  • Print portraying George Washington as Master of his Lodge
  • Portrait of Andrew Jackson in Masonic regalia as Grand Master
  • Photograph of Andrew Johnson in Masonic Knights Templar uniform
  • Photograph of Theodore Roosevelt in Spokane Masonic Temple 1905
  • Photograph of Warren G. Harding wearing Masonic Shriner's fez
  • Paragraph of Harry S. Truman wearing Masonic regalia, with other dignitaries at the Masonic National Memorial

See also

Notes
  1. As of 2021. While there have been 46 presidencies, only 45 individuals have served as president. Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms and is numbered as both the 22nd and 24th U.S. president.

References
  1. "Presidents of the United States Who Were Freemasons". mn-masons.org. Bloomington, Minnesota: The Grand Lodge of Minnesota, A. F. & A. M. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  2. "United States Masonic Presidents". freemasoninformation.com. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  3. Creason, Todd E. "Ronald Reagan: Freemason or Not?". The Midnight Freemasons. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  4. Morris, Brent S. (2013). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry: Discover the Rich and Fascinating History of This Mysterious Society (2nd ed.). Penguin. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-61564-407-0.
  5. "Fraternal Organizations". The Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia. Charlottesville, Virginia: Thomas Jefferson Foundation. Retrieved April 26, 2020.


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