Professional Documents
Culture Documents
by Leonardo Stevenson
MASONIC PRESIDENTS
The names of James Monroe and Lyndon B. Johnson who each received only the
Entered Apprentice Degree are included for the record.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT
WILLIAM H. TAFT
* next to name indicates Worthy Bro. also received 33~ Dates indicate when degrees
conferred.
There has been some loose talk about Presidents of the U.S. secretly being Thirty-
third degree Masons. Actually only two Presidents have received this honor - Harry
S. Truman and Gerald R. Ford Jr.
Warren Gamaliel Harding was elected to receive the 33~ on September 22,1921 On
September 20, 1921 he wrotea letter to the Sovereign Grand Commander stating that
he could not be present. He was given an extenson of one year, but died before the
degree was conferred. An oddity in this case is that he became an Entered Aprentice
on June 28, 1901, received his Fellowcraft on August 13, 1920, & MasterMason on
August 27, 1920. A short time later he became a member of a great many Masonic
Bodies and visited frequently.
Ford received the 32~ in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on October 16, 1957 & the 33~
on September 26, 1962, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
U.S. SECRETARIES OF STATE
Notes: Brother Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed 1 Chief Justice (Harlan Stone) and
8 Associate Justices (Black,Reed,Frankfurter,Douglas,Murphy,Byrnes,Jackson, and
Rutledge) Six of his appointees were Masons; only Stone,Frankfurter, and Murphy
were not.
M.W.B. Harry S. Truman appointed 1 Chief Justice (Vinson) and three Associate
Justices (Burton, Clark, and Minton); all four were Masons.
3.THE VIRGINIA MASONIC HERALD (October 1990 issue) Official Pub. Grand
Lodge A.F.& A.M. Commonwealth of VA.