List of American Presidents who were Freemasons

To become a Freemason you have to go through different stages. The final stage is known as “third degree” and consists of a thorough interrogation. Subsequently, it continues to ascend according to different degrees, reaching different positions of higher rank until reaching grade 33.

Freemasonry in the United States

Although the exact origin of Freemasonry in the United States is not known, according to some testimonies from 1682, there is information about a man named John Skene, who is believed to be the first known Freemason in the United States. However, the first reliable data dates from 1730.

It is likely that the first lodges in the United States appeared in the 18th century in the English colonies, as at that time Freemasonry had a large presence in Europe and especially England.

The first American cities where Masonic meetings were held were Boston and Philadelphia. In the following centuries they spread to other locations. Freemasonry had periods of splendor and other moments that were notable for disorganization, the search for personal prestige and the lack of social results. It is estimated that during the 19th century few lodges overcame these crises.

Some famous figures of Freemasonry in the United States were Henry Ford, inventor of the modern automobile; the brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright, pioneers in aviation; Harry Houdini, magician and escape artist; and Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, who contributed to the independence of the colonies.

Freemason Presidents of the United States

Being part of a lodge was something very important in the eighteenth century within the highest sectors of society. Freemasonry always included among its members the most powerful and educated people. Consequently, they included several US presidents, as well as intellectuals, scientists and other celebrities.

List of Masonic presidents

At present it is known that at least 15 American presidents were part of Freemasonry.

Masonic presidents of the 18th century

• George Washington (1732-1799) was an American politician, statesman, and military man. He was the first president of the United States and is also one of the most famous Freemasons. He joined Freemasonry in 1752 at Fredericksburg, Virginia. During his political career, he was noted for presiding over the Constitutional Convention from which the United States Constitution emerged. He participated in different wars and internal civil conflicts. He ruled the country as president from 1789 to 1797 and promoted freedom of belief. He is currently regarded as “the father of the nation.”
• James Monroe (1758-1831) was a lawyer, diplomat, and statesman who became the fifth president of the United States. He was initiated as a Freemason in 1775 as a very young man, not yet 18 years old, in Williamsburg, Virginia. He served as president from 1817 to 1825 and is credited with the Monroe Doctrine, a treaty that opposed European colonization of the Americas.
• Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) was an American statesman, lawyer, and soldier. He was also the seventh president of the United States and served in his role from 1829 to 1837. He was a strong supporter of the Freemasons, although he had to take on the anti-Masonic party before he was elected president. During his tenure, he was characterized by improving the rights of the common citizen and fighting corruption. However, his rule was also controversial for his mistreatment of indigenous populations. He joined the Tennessee lodge and achieved the position of Grand Master in 1822.

Freemason presidents of the 19th century

• James Knox Polk (1795-1849) was an American lawyer and politician. He was also the 11th president of the United States and ruled from 1845 to 1849. In addition, he served as a legislator and governor of Tennessee. He was initiated into Freemasonry in 1820. His life was controversial for having been a slaveholder and supporting the slavery system.
• James Buchanan (1791-1868) was a lawyer and politician who became the fifteenth American president. His tenure was from 1857 to 1861 and he was the first and so far only bachelor president to inhabit the White House. He became part of the Pennsylvania Freemasonry in the year 1817. Years later he reached the rank of Grand Master.
• Andrew Johnson (1808-1875) was an American politician and the seventeenth President of the United States. He assumed the presidency after the assassination of then-president Abraham Lincoln, in whose government he served as vice president. He ruled from 1865 to 1869. Not much is known about his initiation into Freemasonry, but it is believed that he was a loyal member of the Tennessee lodge.
• James Abram Garfield (1831 – 1881) was an American lawyer, politician, and the 20th President of the United States. He ruled between March and September 1881, when he was killed in a shootout. He was initiated as a Freemason in 1861 in Ohio.
• William McKinley (1843-1901) was a Republican politician and the twenty-fifth American president. He exercised his mandate from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. He was initiated into Freemasonry in Winchester, Virginia, in the year 1865. He was noted for his honesty and integrity.

Freemason presidents of the 20th century

• Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) was an American statesman, conservationist, historian, and writer. He became the 26th president and ruled from 1901 to 1909. He was also the youngest president in United States history. He was previously the governor of New York and later vice president during McKinley’s tenure. He was initiated as a Freemason in 1901, in New York. He stood out for his fierce politics and the promotion of ecological practices and conservation of natural resources.
• William Howard Taft (1857-1930), was an American politician and the country’s twenty-seventh president. He served as President from 1909 to 1913. He was also Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and is the only person to have held both offices. He joined Freemasonry in the year 1909.
• Warren Gamaliel Harding (1865-1923) was a Republican politician who became the 29th President of the United States. He ruled from 1921 until his death in 1923. Although he attempted to become a Freemason in 1901, he was rejected and did not become a part of the fraternity until some time later.
• Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) was the thirty-third American president. He ruled from 1945 to 1953, and was noted for implementing the Marshall Plan and the Truman Doctrine for the recovery of Western Europe after World War II. He served in World War I and participated in the Cold War. He became a Freemason in 1909 in Missouri and was an active member for over 50 years. In fact, in 1959 he received an award for his participation over the decades. In 1940 he became Grand Master of the Missouri lodge.
• Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908–1973), popularly known by the initials of his name, LBJ, was the thirty-sixth president of the United States. He served in office from 1963 to 1969, after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, of whose government he was vice president. Although not much information is known about his participation in Freemasonry, it is believed that he was a member of a lodge in Texas.
• Gerald Rudolph Ford (1913-2006), was an American politician and the nation’s thirty-eighth president. He ruled between 1974 and 1977. He is the last president known to have participated in Freemasonry and was initiated into the Freemason fraternity in 1949. In 1975 he was elected as an Honorary Grand Master by unanimous vote in the International Order of DeMolay.

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