Famous Members of the Ancient Freemason Society
Often associated with cultish rituals, secret handshakes, and grand ceremonial robes, Freemasonry is one of the largest, oldest, and perhaps least understood organizations in the world. Though the society was formally established three hundred years ago in 1717, it is rooted in the builders’ guilds of the early Middle Ages. Indeed, the oldest known Masonic document, the Regius Manuscript, dates to 1390 and describes, in 794 verses, the duties and obligations of the stone cutters and masons.
At its inception, Freemasonry stood as an elite but secret organization to which the builders of Europe’s grand and elaborate cathedrals and castles belonged. Those who joined were not bondsmen, but were free craftsmen — master architects, engineers, and mathematicians — and it was only within the confines of the lodges they built, in their covert meetings, that they shared trade secrets with other guild members and apprentices sworn to secrecy.
As cathedral building stalled and the scope of masonic projects changed, these guilds found it necessary to accept a wider variety of members, branching off to form different sects that they called “lodges.” Eventually, they all coalesced into one formal organization, known as the “Grand Lodge.”
The Knights Templar
The Knights Templar was an order of warrior-like Catholic monks in 1118 A.D. who guarded crusading pilgrims, as they made their way from Jaffa to Jerusalem. They are said to have harvested a great treasure from Solomon’s temple that King Philip IV of France desired, and so the king had them arrested, burning their leader, Jacques DeMolay at the stake. What happened to the Knights Templar after their arrest has become lost to history. Though Encyclopedia Britannica asserts that the Freemasons do not have any historical connection with the Knights Templar, there is still quite a bit of suspicion that the Knights Templar re-emerged in the 1700s, and even helped start the French Revolution, to exact revenge.
Masonic Sacred Geometry
One of the defining aspects of Masonic architecture and art is its representation of sacred geometry — shapes and various geometric patterns that are found repeated throughout the natural world. The Freemasons believed that sacred geometry imbued their architecture or creation with a sense of the divine. For example, the Fibonacci Sequence, one of the most famous patterns in mathematics, is represented by the spiral shape, symbolizing a gateway or life cycles. One will often find winding staircases in castles and cathedrals, symbolizing life’s journey and the awakening of the soul.
Black Freemasonry
Interestingly enough, the branch called black freemasonry dates back to 1775, less than 60 years after Freemasonry was established as a society. It was founded in Boston, Massachusetts, by Prince Hall, a free man, and an abolitionist, who was initiated into Masonry by the British Military Lodge in Boston and went on to establish the Prince Hall Order.
Free men flocked to the Prince Hall Order, and the Grand Lodge of England soon granted its members permission to spread into Philadelphia and Rhode Island, where it continued to spread across the entire country and become the largest black fraternity in the world.
The Prince Hall Order served as a massive network of information and resources, providing black intellectuals meeting places where they could exchange ideas and form partnerships, and where they had access to books and alternative interpretations of the bible that did not glorify slavery.
Cathedral Sainte-Chapelle, consecrated 1248. A French Gothic masterpiece
Modern Freemasonry
When freemasonry evolved into its own society, opening itself up to members of all walks of life, it became less secretive and more akin to an elite club. While banned by both the Church and political powers, in the end, many devout Catholics and powerful political figures joined its lodges as well.
While various sects have earned different reputations, tradition and membership demand that three ancient principals be honored:
- Brotherly Love — demonstrating tolerance, kindness, and respect toward others
- Relief — Giving of oneself to charitable causes
- Truth — Abiding by high moral standards
And while Freemasonry may have once been regarded as ‘secret,’ it can hardly be considered as such today, with its enigmatic symbols and its building locations clearly identified by a search on Google Maps and along main streets in cities across the world. But what may still be surprising are how many popular figures have sworn themselves to the brotherhood.
Famous Freemasons
Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin — Mechanical engineer, ex-USAF fighter pilot, and pilot of the Apollo 11’s Lunar Module. By the time he became the second man to walk on the moon, Aldrin was already a member of Clear Lake Lodge No. 1417.
Jean François Marie Arouet de Voltaire — Satirical writer and philosopher of the French Enlightenment. Voltaire lived by his morals and fought against intolerance. He was initiated into the Masonic brotherhood in 1778 by none other than Benjamin Franklin, a high-ranking Mason himself.
Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi — Sculptor of The Statue of Liberty, as well as numerous other structures. The Statue of Liberty was said to be a beacon to Masonic ideals, standing tall for brotherhood, relief, and truth, and it was installed as part of a Masonic ceremony. Bartholdi was initiated as a member of the Lodge Alsace-Lorraine in Paris.
William James “Count” Basie — African-American orchestra leader and composer. Basie was a member of the Prince Hall Order in Chicago, as well as a noted “Shriner,” a Masonic organization focused on charity and camaraderie.
Mel Blanc — Known as “The Man of a Thousand Voices,” the iconic voice of such cartoon characters as Bugs Bunny, Barney Rubble, and Porky Pig. Blanc joined the Order of DeMolay in his youth and was a freemason for 58 years, as well as a Shriner.
Giacomo Casanova — The Venetian who earned a reputation for womanizing that has lasted for centuries. Casanova rubbed elbows with members of European royalty, as well as leaders of the Catholic Church and the great minds of his time. He was initiated into the Lodge of the Duke of Clermont in Paris.
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark — Explorers of the Lewis & Clark Expedition who endured the elements across the United States, searching for the Northwest Passage. Both were Masons — Lewis belonged to Door of Virtue Lodge, and Clark to Saint Louis Lodge No.111.
James Hoban — Architect who designed The White House and oversaw its construction. When President Truman took office, he found a number of the building’s stones contained masonic engravings and had them preserved during renovations. Hoban belonged to Federal Lodge No.15.
The popularity of Freemasonry can be credited, in large part, with molding both ancient and modern society. From their buildings wrought with symbolism to their ideals, the ancient masonic thread within our society is undeniable. As much as modern Freemasons have done to wrest their organizations from negative stereotypes, perhaps Freemasonry will always be shrouded in mystery and associated with sealed lips and cloak-and-dagger tales.
Freemason Secrets: Ancient Masonic Rites, Rituals, and Myths
My father, uncle, and grandfather were Freemasons. My grandfather held the title of Worshipful Master (akin to a president) at a New York City lodge near the turn of the century and had some fascinating clothing and accessories — his ring was beyond cool.
I remember asking Pop about his lodge when I was in kindergarten. Replying in his thick German accent, he said, “There is nothing for you to know at this time, boy.” I love that answer.
“George Washington was a Mason, along with 13 other presidents and numerous Supreme Court Justices. Benjamin Franklin published a book about Freemasonry on his own printing press. Nine signers of the Declaration of Independence were Freemasons, including the man with the biggest signature: John Hancock.”
— “Secrets of ‘The Lost Symbol,” MSNBC 10/27/09
The History of Masonry
The Masons most likely grew as extensions of the membership rules of Scotsman William Schaw’s stonemasonry tribe and The Knights Templar — a secretive group of Christian warrior-monks that protected the aspirants who traveled along the pathways to the Holy Land.
At the turn of the 16th Century, William Schaw developed his own club-like culture, housed within a lodge, and infused with a set of rules for sworn members, including, “They shall be true to one another and live charitably together as becometh sworn brethren and companions of the Craft.”
When diplomats and politicians joined the organization in the mid-1600s, the stonemason lodge movement began its climb as a stealthy phenomenon. If you were politically active and wanted to connect with the power structures of the times, you would do just about anything to become a member of The Masons.
In 1717, Masonry created a formal organization in London, when four lodges united to form the first Grand Lodge. This gave the organization credibility and added to its membership’s mystical allure. Men flocked, begged, coerced, and maneuvered to become members. Everybody wanted in.
The Freemasons of The United States
The United States Masons, otherwise known as The Freemasons, were a highly political society in the 1700s. The first US lodge was opened in 1730 in New Jersey, where they initiated early plans and strategies used to fight the British. With its growing vault of secrets, expanding political influence, and stealth missions, it was an exciting time to be a Freemason.
Initially, the Freemason creed declared anti-Catholic, anti-Royalty, and Republican virtues, including self-government, personal freedom, and free enterprise. The basic tenet was that no person or organization should be controlled or oppressed by a government or religion, or their respective laws and doctrines. At their start, and for centuries, The Freemasons were a feisty, calculating, and powerful coalition.
Much to the chagrin of the Catholic Church, the early Masonic organization’s philosophy evolved from Deist ideology, which believes God does not interfere with creation, as it runs itself according to the laws of nature.
If you were a Mason in Europe in the 1700s, you stood against the notion of natural selection as it pertained to royalty. As Masonry developed and grew, you rooted for the wild, unruly kids across the pond – the Americans.
In 1870, The Shriners, a group of elite Freemasons, created their first rituals, emblems, and costumes based on Middle Eastern themes, when 11 Master Masons were initiated into the organization.
And while it seems they were rigorously involved in politics, Freemasonry describes itself as a “beautiful system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols.”
