-
Bro. Washington, like many
Masonic Presidents, served as WM of his Lodge but is the only one to
do so while President. (Kind of kills the excuse that one is too
busy to serve his Lodge!)
-
Bro. James Polk survived gall
bladder surgery at age 17 with some brandy as the only sedative! He
assisted, as President, in the Masonic cornerstone lying of the
Smithsonian.
-
Bro. James Buchanan was the
only bachelor to be elected president (his fiancée' broke off the
engagement & then suddenly died). Although not a Grand Master, as
were Bro's Truman & Jackson, he did serve as a Deputy Grand Master
for 3 Pennsylvania counties.
-
Bro. Andrew Johnson, our 17th
President, never attended school! His future wife, Eliza McCardle,
taught him to write at the age of 17. He was such a good tailor that
he only wore suits that he custom-tailored himself.
-
Bro. James Garfield took 3
years and a day between his EA & FC (a good excuse however, he was
serving in the Union Army during the Civil War). He later was a
charter member of a D.C. Lodge.
-
Bro. William McKinley was a
member of Eagle Lodge #431 of Canton, Ohio; it became Wm. McKinley
Lodge after his assassination.
-
Bro. Teddy Roosevelt, a long
time New York State Mason, took time during his presidency to visit
the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania for the sesquicentennial of Bro.
Washington's becoming a Mason. It was Bro. Roosevelt, who by
executive order renamed the "Executive Mansion" as The White House.
-
Bro. William Taft, whose father
and two brothers were also Masons, made this statement when he
became a Mason: "I am glad to be here, and to be a Mason. It does me
good to feel the thrill that comes from recognizing on all hands the
Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man." He later became a
Supreme Court Chief Justice.
-
Bro. Warren G. Harding had a
gap of 19 years between his Initiation and Raising due to the
objection of a Lodge member who relented after Harding was nominated
for the Presidency.
-
Bro. Franklin Roosevelt was
present when each of his three sons became Masons during his
Presidency (in 1933 & 1935).
-
Bro. Harry S. Truman, his
middle initial "S" was just that, a plain letter "S". It stood for
his two grandfathers, both of whom had an "S" in their name.
-
Bro. Gerald Ford and Bro.
Truman are the only Masonic presidents to reach the 50 year
milestone (Pres. Ford is a 56 year Mason to date). His three
half-brothers and stepfather are Masons as well.
