1840. Second Grand Lodge of Illinois formed April 6.
Stephen A. Douglas, famous political leader, made a Mason in Springfield Lodge No. 4, Illinois.
1841. Franz Liszt, famous composer and pianist, made a Mason in Union Lodge, Frankfurt, Germany.
Masonic College proposed by the Grand Lodge of Missouri.
Albert Gallatin Mackey made a Mason in St. Andrew's Lodge No. 10, South Carolina.
William J. Hughan born in Devonshire. England. He because a famous Masonic student and author.
The Grand Master of Illinois issued a dispensation to a lodge in Nauvoo, Illinois, October 15.
The Grand Lodge of Maine issued a charter, dated October 20, 1841, for a lodge in Iowa.
1842. First lodge formed in New Zealand.
Lodge constituted at Nauvoo, Illinois, March 15.
Joseph Smith, Mormon prophet, was made a Mason at sight in Nauvoo Lodge and their charter was suspended, August 11.
Orphan's Friends Lodge #17, Texas established a school which, apparently, was the first fathered by a Masonic lodge.
1843. Grand Lodge of Iowa formed January 8.
On May 8th, the Baltimore Convention met with fifteen Grand Lodges in attendance.
Charters of the Hauvoo lodges arrested for irregularities in October.
Grand Lodge of Wisconsin formed December 18.
George Baird born in Washington, DC. He became a famous engineer, Admiral of the United States Navy, and Grand Master of the District of Columbia.
Grand Lodge of Missouri established a Masonic College.
1844. June 27, the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (popularly known as the Mormon Church), Brother Joseph Smith, Jr., and his brother Hyrum, were shot to death by a mob in Carthage, Illinois. At the time, Brother Joseph Smith was a presidential candidate of the National Reform Party. Both Joseph and Hyrum were members of Nauvoo Lodge, Nauvoo, Illinois (The Learning Kingdom; Livingston Masonic Library)
Grand Lodge of Michigan formed September 17.
1845. June 8, 1845, Brother Andrew Jackson, 7th President of the United States, died at Nashville, Tennessee Brother Jackson received his three degrees at Harmony Lodge No. 1, Nashville, Tennessee. He became Grand Master of Masons in Tennessee with the Grand Lodge of Tennessee in October 1822, and served until October, 1824. An Honorary member of Federal Lodge No. 1 at Washington , DC, he was also a Royal Arch Mason. Brother Jackson's election as United States President despite fierce anti-Masonic opposition spelled the end for the Anti-Masonic Third party movement which grew out of the infamous Morgan scandal. (Newsday: This Day In History; Livinston Masonic Library)
Cornelius Moore established the masonic Review and published ot for fifty years.
Albert Gallatin Mackey published A Lexicon of Freemasonry. Suggestion made before the Grand Lodge of Iowa that a sum of money be set aside to establish a Masonic Library.
George Mifflin Dallas became Vice president of the United States. He was a Mason.
1846. Pope Pius IX issued has Bull Qui Fluribus, November 9, directed against the Craft.
1847. President Polk, a Mason, helped lay the cornerstone of the Smithsonian Institution, at Washington, DC, May 1.
July 23, Brigham Young and his Mormon followers arrived at the Valley of Salt Lake, and there established the center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Young was named president and prophet of the church that same year. This was a post that had been vacant since the murder of Brother Joseph Smith in 1844. In 1849 he became first Governor of the Territory of Utah and soon after became instrumental in securing economic and political rights for Mormons. It was believed Young was a member of Milnor Lodge No. 303 in Victor, New York. But this Lodge warranted in 1818, regularly sent membership returns to New York Grand Lodge until 1830, and Young's name was not among them. He died August 29, 1877. (Source: The Learning Kingdom; 10,000 Famous Freemasons)
Publication of Letters on Masonic Institution by John Quincy Adams. They were anti-Masonic.
Thomas De Quincey wrote an essay, Secret Societies, in which he made unfounded assumptions and concluded that Masonry was an evil association.
Dr. George Kloss, German philologist, made a scientific study of Freemasonry and wrote Geschichte de Friemaurerei.
1848. Robert Macoy made a Mason in Lebanon Lodge No. 313 (now No. 191), New York.
The Grand Lodge of Texas adopted a resolution asking the Grand Master to appoint a Superintendent of Education.
Cornerstone of Washington Monument, Washington, DC laid by Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia, July 4, Grand Master Benjamin B. French. First charter for lodge West of the Rockies arrived in Oregon, City.
1849. Pope Pius IX issued his Bull Quibus quantisque Malis, April 20, directed against the Craft.
Grand Lodge of Virginia laid the cornerstone of the George Washington monument in Richmond, Virginia.
Luther Burbank, famous horticulturist, born. He became a member of Santa Rosa Lodge No. 57, California.
1850. Lodge constituted on Arabia, August 5, by Grand Lodge of Scotland.
Degrees of the Eastern Star prepared by Robert Morris, of Kentucky, and first conferred on his wife.
Grand Lodge of California formed April 19.
1851. Andrew Jackson became a mason in Greenville Lodge No. 119 (now No. 3), Tennessee. He became President of the United States on Lincoln's death.
Second cornerstone beginning House and Senate wings of United States Capitol was laid by the Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia with Grand Master Benjamin B. French.
General John A. Logan, famous in War Between the States, made a Mason in Benton Lodge No. 64. Illinois.
Edward Lovell Hawkins born. He became a famous Masonic student author.
Lew Wallace, famous General and author of Ben Hur, made a Mason in Fountain Lodge No. 60, Covington, Indiana, January 15.
Grand Lodge of Oregon formed September 15.
1852. Queen Victoria became Patroness of the Masonic Boy's School.
George V Ayres born in Pennsylvania. He moved to South Dakota and made the first deposit in the Permanent Charity found and administered it for forty-nine years. He was the first Grand Masters of South Dakota.
Louis Kossuth made a Mason in Cincinnati Lodge No. 133, Ohio.
1853. Congress of American Lodges held at Lexington, Kentucky.
Grand Lodge of Minnesota formed February 24.
Robert Morris published Lights and Sahdows of Freemasonry.
1854. June 26, at Grand Prix, Nova Scotia, was born Brother Robert Baird Borden, Canadian statesman and Mason who was to become Prime Minister of Canada from 1911 to 1920. He served as delegate to the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 and was representative of Canada on the Council of The League of Nations. He died at Totowa, June 10, 1937. (Case's; Livingston Masonic library)
Kit Carson made a Mason in Montezuma Lodge No. 109 (Missouri Register), Santa Fe, New Mexico Territory.
Charles Thomas McClenachan made a Mason in Munn Lodge No. 190, New York.
1855. Robert Morris compiled and published the Universal Masonic Library; thirty volumes of many classics of the Craft.
1856. William R. Harper born in Concord, Ohio. He helped found the University of Chicago. He was a Mason.
Albert Gallatin Mackey published Principles f Masonic Law which went through many editions. It is known as Masonic Jurisprudence.
Sir Alfred Robbins born. He was a famous Mason, journalist and author.
Grand Lodge of Kansas formed March 17.
Admiral Robert Peary born. He discovered the north Pole. He was a member of Kane Lodge, New York.
1857. Brother William Howard Taft, 27th President of the United States was born September 15.
Grand Lodge of Nebraska formed September 23.
John Cabell Breckenridge because Vice President of the United States. He was raised in Des Moines Lodge No. 41 (now No. 1), Burlington, Iowa, and affiliated with Good Samaritan Lodge No. 174 Lexington, Kentucky.
Joseph Jefferson, famous actor, made a Mason in Concordia Lodge No. 13, Baltimore, Maryland. He made "The Little Church Around the Corner" famous as the actor's own church.
1858. Theodore Roosevelt born.
Grand Lodge of Washington formed December 8.
Sylvanus Cobb, Jr. wrote The Caliph of Bagdad; a novel with Masonic significance.
1859. Retired railroad conductor Brother Edwin L. Drake became the first person to successfully drill oil from the earth, August 27, at Titusville, Pennsylvinia. From Pennsylvania, oil production spread West to Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and finally to Texas and California. Drake found the oil at a depth of 69 ft (23 m). An American pioneer of the oil industry, Brother Drake was the first to tap petroleum at its source by drilling for the Pennsylvania Rock Oil Company, the oldest petroleum firm in the world. (Source: American Mason)
Masonic Hall dedicated in Edinburgh.
First lodge chartered in British Columbia.
Irving Bachellor born in Pierpont, New York. He became famous author and became member of Kane Lodge No. 454, New York.
George W. Chase wrote Digest of Masonic Law which went through many editions.
1860. First publication of the ritual of the Eastern Star.
William Jennings Bryan born in Salem, Illinois. He was famous as perennial candidate for office of President of the United States. He was a Mason.
Robert Morris, of Kentucky, on June 24, wrote to leaders of the Craft proposing the establishment of the Conservators of the ritual to establish its uniformity. It became the source of much internal strife within the Craft and brought much abuse to one who had labored long and hard in the quarries.
1861. J. G. Findel wrote History of Freemasonry, the first English edition being published in 1865.
Mark Twain made a Mason in Polar Star Lodge No. 79, St Louis, Missouri.
The year 1861 saw our nation tested as to whether it could survive as a nation united. Civil War. We were to suffer 650,000 casualties, more than for all wars combined until World War II. And Brother James Gilmore wrote: "When. Johnny comes marching' home again..." It was during those terrible times that Brother elect (but never initiated) Abraham Lincoln described America as "a new nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equai...a nation under God that shall have a new birth of freedom and that the government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth...." Assassination prevented Lincoln from becoming "Brother" Lincoln, which would have made three of four United States Presidents on Mount Rushmore, Brothers.
James Abram Garfield made a Mason in Magnolia Lodge No. 20, Columbus, Ohio. He became the twentieth President of the United States.
Grand Lodge of Colorado formed August 2.
1862. First Masonic meeting in Wyoming. July 4, on top of Independence Rock.
Charles Sherwood Stratton, known as Tom Thumb, the famous midget, made a Mason in St. John's Lodge No. 3 Bridgeport, Connecticut.
1863. Following the first day of battle at Gettysburg, the Blue and the Gray met, July 1, at the local lodge and mingled peacefully.
July 26, Confederate Major General and notorious raider Brother John Hunt Morgan was captured at New Lisbon, Ohio by Union forces after harassing those forces in Tennessee and Ohio throughout the Civil War. He was imprisoned in the Ohio Penitentiary from which he soon escaped. He then undertook a raid in Greenville, Tennessee wherein he was surrounded and killed on September 4, 1864. He was a member of Davies Lodge No. 22 Lexington, Kentucky. He was buried in Lexington Cemetery with Masonic honors in 1846. (Source: Chase's; 10,000 Famous Freemasons)
First meeting of the Vigilantes in Montana, December 22. Eleven of the twelve were Masons.
Stephen Johnson Field appointed justice of the United States Supreme Court. He was Lincoln's last appointment. He was a member of Corinthian Lodge No. 9, Marysville, California.
1864. Garibaldi united all the Masonic groups in Italy, May 21-24.
Pope Pius IX issued his Bull Quanta Cura, December 8, directed against the Craft.
Idaho's first lodge chartered on August 9.
1865. Ely S. Parker, a Mason, wrote the terms of surrender for the end of the War Between the States, April 9. He was Grant's Secretary.
Grand Lodge of West Virginia formed April 12.
The Conservator movement came to an end, June 24. the date set by the founder, Robert Morris.
Born July 19, at Rochester, Minnesota was the American surgeon, Brother Charles Horace Mayo later to become one of the Mayo Brothers who co-founded the world famous Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation. The Clinic began at Rochester's Masonic Temple Building. Brother Mayo was a member of Rochester Lodge No. 21. He was also a member of Halcyon Chapter No. 8, Royal Arch Masons, and Home Commandery No. 5, Knights Templar, both of Rochester. Brother Mayo also won the 32º degree AASR (SJ) at Winona, Minnesota, and the 33º in October, 1935. He died May 26, 1939 in Chicago, Illinois (Source: Chase's; Livingston Masonic Library; Masonic Leadership Center )
Pope Pius IX issued his Bull Multiplices Intern, September 25, directed against the Craft. Freemason's Hall opened in Dublin.
St. Cecile Lodge (Daylight), New York City, received dispensation.
1866. Second Freemasons' Hall opened in London.
Lodge formed in Japan by the Grand Lodge of England.
J. M. Ragon, French Masonic author, died in Paris, France.
The Grand Lodge of Kentucky erected the Masonic Widows' and Orphans' home in Louisville. It was the first home of its kind.
Grand Lodge of Montana formed July 24.
Robert Macoy, of New York, published a widely circulated ritual of the Eastern Star.
1867. June 19, Brother Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph, Emperor of Mexico since 1864, was executed by firing squad in Mexico by the forces of Brother Benito Juarez, (The George Washington of Mexico) despite his support for many of Brother Juarez's proposed sweeping social reforms. Nevertheless, Brother Maximilian was executed near the Mexican town of Queretaro. The "Keystone," Raleigh, North Carolina, in October, 1866, credited him, with being a 33º AASR Brother Juarez was prominent in Masonry, serving as Master an rising to Inspector General kin the Mexican AASR 33º. It is claimed that Brother Maximilian appealed to Brother Juarez as a Mason to spare his life, but Brother Juarez, claiming the Emperor was not a Mason, went ahead with the execution. (The Learning Kingdom; Livingston Masonic Library)
Reverend George Oliver died.
Josiah Hayden Drummond unanimously selected as Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite, Northern Jurisdiction.
A number of clergymen met in October, in Aurora, Illinois to discuss secret societies. The National Christian Association resulted. For years it has been issueing, ineffectually, anti-masonic material.
Grand Lodge of Idaho formed December 17.
1868. E. Rebold published A General History of Freemasonry in Europe which went through many editions.
1869. Masonic Boys' School started in Ireland.
Albert Gallatin Mackey wrote Symbolism of Freemasonry.
Joseph Robbins delivered what many believed to be the greatest Masonic oration ever given, before the Grand Lodge of Illinois.
Pope Pius IX his Bull Apostolicae Sedis, October 12, directed against the Craft.
1871. The free masonry of Paris tries to get the Versailles government to negotiate with the "Commune" insurgents. On Sunday 29, several thousands masons march through Paris. They plant their masonic banners on the walls of the town. After another attempt at negotiation with the government, masons with their insignia join the "Commune' side and fight against the Versaillesgovernment's troops, April 29.
William F. Cody (Buffalo Bill) was made a Mason in Platte Valley Lodge No. 32, Nebraska.
Sir Williams S. Gilbert (Gilbert and Sullivan) made a Mason in Lodge St. Michar No. 54, Scotland.
Melvin M. Johnson born in Waltham, Massachusetts.
Alpha Lodge No. 116 constituted by the Grand Lodge of New Jersey. It is now the only regular lodger of Negroes in the United States.
Albert Pike wrote Morals and Dogma.
United States Grant, at his home in Galena, Illinois, received the Knights Templar and entertained them. (Grant was not a Mason, but his father was.) After his world tour, Grant gave the local lodge a tom-tom, a gift he had received from a dignitary in India. The lodge still uses the tom-tom.
1872. First official meeting of Mecca Temple, September 26, in New York. This was the beginning of the Shrine. The guiding spirits were William J. Florence and Dr. Walter M. Fleming.
Grand Lodge of Utah formed January 16.
1873. Pope Pius IX was expelled from the Freemasonry on March 26th by command of Victor Emmanuel, King of Italy and Grand Master of the East of Italy.
Grand Lodge of Indian Territory formed October 6.
Pope Pius IX issued his Bull Etsi Multa, November 21, directed against the Craft.
1874. Grand Lodge of Wyoming formed December 15.
1875. Oscar Wilde was raised May 25, in Appolo University Lodge No. 357, Oxford, England.
A lodge in Hungary initiated Helene Barkoczy, Countess Hadik, because of her great interest in the Craft. The lodge lost its charter and the Grand Lodge of Hungary issued a declaration on the subject. This has been questioned.
Grand Lodge of Dakota Territory formed July 21.
Edwin Markham made a Mason in Acacia Lodge No. 22 Coloma, California.
1876. Robert J. Meekren born in London, England. He is famous for his research and writings on the ritual.
1877. Cecil J. Rhodes made a Mason in University Lodge No. 357, Oxford, England. He established the Rhodes scholarships.
John M. Harlan appointed a Justice of the United States Supreme Court. He was a Mason.
The Grand Orient of France eliminated from its Constitution the reference to God. This placed French lodges in a singular position and most Grand Lodges withdrew recognition.
Grand Lodge of New Mexico formed August 6.
John Heron Lepper born in Belfast, Ireland. He wrote many Masonic articles and was active in Quatuor Coronati of London.
1879. Carl H. Claudy born in Washington, DC Author of many Masonic books, articles and Masonic plays. For many years, was Executive Secretary of The Masonic Service Association.
1880. Joseph Fort Newton born in Decatur, Texas He became active as a Masonic author and noted orator.
Religion of Freemasonry by Josiah Whymper published. It sought to show the Craft in a Christian association.
Gould's History of Freemasonry published. This was a milestone on Masonic historical research.
1881. John Phillip Sousa made a Mason in Hiram Lodge No. 10, Washington, DC.
Charles Wakefield Cadman born. At Dawning was one of his famous songs. Member of Albert Pike Lodge No. 484, California.
1882. First Alberta, Canada. lodge chartered.
Grand Lodge of Arizona formed March 25.
1883. June 17, The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York City aboard the French ship "Isere." The statue was shipped in 350 individual pieces. Sculpted by Brother Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, the statue was a gift to America from the people of France. The statue was supposed to have been ready for the centennial of the American Revolution; financial problems delayed the construction for about ten years. Brother Bartholdi was one of the earliest members of Lodge Allsace-Lorraine, Paris, October 14, 1875. When his status, really named "Liberty Enlightening the world" was achieved, Brother Barthildi convened his Lodge review it, even before the statue was shown to the United States committee. (The Learning Kingdom; Livingston Masonic Library)
Edwin T. Booth, famous Shakespearean actor, born in Bel Air, Maryland. Member of New York Lodge No. 330, New York.
Building erected in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to house Masonic Library, used until 1953 when it was replaced by a new and larger building.
1884. Pope Leo XIII issued his Bull Humanum Genus, April 20, directed against the Craft.
Robert Morris designated poet laureate of Freemasonry.
1885. Masonic Relief Association of the United States and Canada held first convention and elected officers.
1886. On May 26, was born at St. Petersburg, Russia, Asa Yoelson, the Mason, actor and singer who became internationally known as Al Jolson.
June 25, was born at Gladwyne, Pennsylviana the man and Mason who was to become Unite States General and Commander of the Army Air Force in all theaters throughout World War II. As early as 1938, Brother Henry H. "Hap" Arnold was persuading the United States aviation industry to step up its production of airplanes, though no funds were available for the purpose. Under his goading production rose from 6,000 planes to 262,999 a year during 1940-55. He was made a full General in 1944 - and became the United States Air Force's first Five Star general when the Air Force was made a separate military unit equal to the Army and Navy. Brother Arnold was raised in Union Lodge No. l7, Junction City, Kansas, November 3, 1927. He received the 32º AASR on April 11, 1929 at Fort Leavenworth Kansas, and the 33º on October 10, 1950. He died in Sonoma, California January 15, 1951. (Chase's; Livingston Masonic Library)
Rudyard Kipling made a Mason in Hope and Perseverance Lodge No. 782, Lahore, India.
Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076, the first Masonic research lodge, was established in Londoin.
H. L. Haywood born in Mulberry, Ohio. He is the author of many masonic books.
1887. Sir Arthur S. Sullivan (Gilbert) and Sullivan) served as Grand Organist of the Grand Lodge of England.
1888. June 2, the famous comic ballad "Casey at the Bat" appeared in the San Francisco Examiner. Though attributed to "anonymous" the author was serious poet Ernest L. Thayer who was paid $5 for the effort that led to most of his other works being forgotten. But it triggered a happy career for Brother DeWolff Hopper who recited "Casey at the Bat" for the first time at Wallack's Theater in New York City. And no fewer than 10,000 times after that as part of his comic repertoire. The recitation, which made both the poem and himself famous, took five minutes and 40 seconds, and never failed to "bring down the house." Brother Hopper was raised in Pacific Lodge No. 233, New York city, in 1890, and was 32 deg. AASR (New Jersey), and a member of Mecca Shrine Temple in New York City. He died September 23, 1935.
Publication of the first transactions of Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076 of London. They have been published yearly to the present time.
John Joseph Pershing made a mason in Lincoln Lodge No. 19, Nebraska. He was Commander-in-Chief of the Army in France in World War I.
Irving Berlin, famous song writer, born in Russia. Member of Munn Lodge No. 190, New York.
1889. Grand Lodges of North Dakota and South Dakota formed June 12.
George Franklin Fort published his Early History and Antiquities of Freemasonry.
1890. Nathaniel Pitt Langford published Vigilante Days and Ways in which he explained how the Craft organized law and order in Montana. He was Grand Master in 1869.
Frank S. Land born in Kansas City, Missouri. He organized the Order of DeMolay.
James Cunningham Batchelor succeeded Albert Pike as Sovereign Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction.
1892. Brother James P. Upham, publisher of Youths Companion Magazine, advanced the idea of a flag raising ceremony in all schools in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America. Patriotic fervor swept the country over the idea for an appropriate prayer filled with reverence, patriotism and love of country, for occasions such as these, the Reverand and Brother Francis J. Bellamy created America's Pledge of Allegiance. Brother Bellamy's pledge was first used on Columbus Day, October 12, 1892 and was officially adopted on June 22, 1942, "under Cod" was added June 14, 1954.
Grand Lodge of Oklahoma Territory formed November 10.
1893. Masonic Congress held in Chicago, Illinois.
Lawrence Nichols Greenleaf started the publication of The Square and Compass of Denver and continued to do so until 1917.
Clarence M. Boutelle wrote The man of Mount Moriah; famous masonic novel.
Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, became a Mason on Phoenix Lodge No. 257, Portsmouth, England.
1894. Anti-Masonic Bureau established by Pope Leo XIII.
Edward Conder Jr., of London, Published Records of the Hole Craft and Fellowship of Masons.
1895. June 24 at Manassa, Colorida was born William Harrison Dempsey who was to become known as "Jack Dempsey, The Manassa Mauler" and who was Heavyweight Champion of the Boxing world from 1919 to 1926. He won the Heavyweight Championship from Jess Willard at Toledo, Ohio on July 4, 1919. And he lost the title to Gene Tunney at Philadelphia on September 23, 1926. Following his boxing career he became a successful restaurateur. Bro. Dempsey was a member of Kenwood Lodge No. 800, Chicago, Illinois. He died May 31, 1983, at New York City. (Chase's; Livingston Masonic Library)
1896. Robert Edwin Peary, discoverer of the North Pole, made a Mason in Kane Lodge No. 454, New York.
Anti-Masonic Congress held in Trent. Looked into the matter of Diana Vaughn.
The Tract Association of Friends (Quakers) of Philadelphia, issued an anti-Masonic tract called, Secret Societies.
1897. June 2, Brother Mark Twain, 61, was quoted by the New York Journal as saying from London, "The report of my death was an exaggeration." The line was afterwards frequently quoted. Twain, whose real name was Samuel Langhorn Clemens, was a member of Polar Star Lodge No. 79 in St., Louis, Missouri. At one point he was suspended but reinstated on April 24, 1867. However, he demitted October 8, 1868 and never again affiliated with any Lodge.
Leo Taxil admitted that Diana Vaughn was a myth. He had to flee for his life.
1898. Sam Henry Goodwin became a Mason in Fraternal Lodge No. 71, New Hampshire. He later moved to Utah. Wrote extensively on the relations of Masonry and Mormonism. He was Grand Master and then Grand Secretary of Utah.
John Wanamaker made a Mason at Sight by the Grand Master of Pennsylvania, March 30.
1899. Leader Scott (Mrs. Lucy Baxter) published the Cathedral buildings in which she sought to show the missing link between the Masons of ancient times and the Masons of today.
Hamilton Lodge No. 120, New York founded the Mystic Order of Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm, called the Grotto.
Henry L. Stillson and the W. J. Hughan, as editors, published The History of the Ancient and Honorable of the Ancient and honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons, and Concordant Orders.
Admiral Winfield Scott Schley, "Hero of Santiago," made a Mason at Sight, October 21, at Washington, DC.
1901. Brother Jean Henri Dunant, of Switzerland, for having founded The International Committee of the Red Cross, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, December 10.
United States Vice President and Brother Theodore Roosevelt In a speech given, September 2 at St. Paul, Minnesota Theodore Roosevelt voiced his famous phrase "Speak softly and carry a big stick."
Brother William McKinley, then President of the United States, was shot at Buffalo, New York by Leon Czolgosz, September 6. He died eight days later.
Oliver Day Street, famous lawyer and politician of Alabama, made a Mason in Marshall Lodge No. 209, Guntersville, Alabama. He became a Grand Master of Alabama and authored Symbolism of the Three Degrees.
Roscoe Pound made a Mason in Lancaster Lodge No. 54, Nebraska.
Theodore Roosevelt made a Mason in Martinecock Lodge No. 806, New York.
1902. Charles McCarthy's The Anti-Masonic Political Party printed in the Proceedings of the American Historical Association.
1904. David A. Smalley received first section of the Third Degree in Chicago. The lodge was not permitted to reassemble because of strict regulation resulting from the fire in the Iroquois Theater. Two weeks later the second section was conferred on him. During the intervening period, he was a two and a half degree Mason.
1906. For helping to mediate an end to the
Russo-Japanese War, Brother Theodore Roosevelt becomes
the first American to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, December
10.
Will Rodgers mad a Mason in Claremont Lodge No. 53, Oklahoma.
Julius F. Sachse wrote Benjamin Franklin as a Freemason in a celebration volume of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.
1907. Brother 1907 Rudyard Kipling received the Nobel prize for literature.
On May 26, Marion Michael Morrison was born at Winterset, Iowa, the man and Mason who was to become John (Duke) Wayne, American motion picture actor. He was the archetypal Western hero and starred in more films than any other actor. But he did not receive an Oscar until 1969 for "True Grit." He was also a DeMolay. He died at Los Angeles, California June 11, 1979.
June 22, at Englewood, New Jersey was born the talented author and aviator Ann Morrow Lindbergh (Gift from the Sea), who became the wife of Brother Charles A. Lindbergh who made history with his nonstop trans-Atlantic flight from Long Island to Paris on May 20, 1927. Brother Lidnbergh was a member of Keystone Lodge No. 243, St. Louis, Missouri. (Chase's)
1908. Grand Lodge of Oklahoma formed February 10.
Fay Hempstead crowned Poet Laureate of Freemasonry.
1909. Grand Lodge of Oklahoma formed February 10.
William Howard Taft made a Mason at sight. He was President-elect at the time.
June 14, born at Hunt, Illionis was American singer and actor Brother Burl Ives who reintroduced Anglo-American folk music in the 40s and 50s. Brother Ives won an Academy Award for his supporting role in The Big Country (1958), and became well-known for his role as Big Daddy in both the film and the Broadway production of Cat On a Hot Tin Roof. He died April 14, 1995, at Anacortes, Washington. (Chase's)
Grand Lodge of Turkey formed, July 13.
Harry S. Truman made a Mason in Belton Lodge #450, Missouri. He later became the thirty-third President of the United States.
Tyrus Raymond Cobb, famous baseball player, made a Mason in Royston Lodge No. 426, Georgia.
1910. Meeting held at Alexandria, Virginia, February 22, resulted in the George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association being formed and the adoption of a resolution to erect a memorial to George Washington.
1911. Roscoe Pound's famous lectures The Philosophy of Freemasonry and Masonic Jurisprudence were published.
Franklin D. Roosevelt made a Mason in Holland Lodge No. 8, New York.
Cornerstone of new home of Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, was laid in Washington, DC.
1913. Poland passes lay forbidding Masonry, November 22.
The Catholic Encyclopedia was published. It has an article on Freemasonry by the Abbe Gruber, a Jesuit who made anti-masonry his life work.
Back to Masonic History Previous Next
