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List of presidents of the United States who were Freemasons

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Since the office of president of the United States was established in 1789, 45[a] individuals have served in this capacity. Of these, 15,[1] including Lyndon B. Johnson who took only the First Degree, are known to have been Freemasons, beginning with the nation's first president, George Washington. The most recent president to have undisputed membership is Gerald Ford. Ronald Reagan was granted an honorary membership in 1988, and Joe Biden was declared a "Mason at Sight" by the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of South Carolina in 2025, although it is disputed whether he accepted membership.[2]

List

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The following U.S. presidents were Freemasons:[3]

Name Presidency Details
George Washington
(1732–1799) 		1st • April 30, 1789 – March 4, 1797 Initiated on November 4, 1752, in Fredericksburgh Lodge No. 4, Fredericksburg, Virginia. Elected Worshipful Master on December 20, 1788
James Monroe
(1758–1831) 		5th • March 4, 1817 – March 4, 1825 Initiated on November 9, 1775, in Williamsburg Lodge No. 6, Williamsburg, Virginia at the age of 17 while studying at the College of William & Mary[4]
Andrew Jackson
(1767–1845) 		7th • March 4, 1829 – March 4, 1837 Member of St. Tammany (later Harmony) Lodge No. 1, Nashville, Tennessee. Elected Grand Master of Tennessee on October 7, 1822, and served until October 4, 1824
James K. Polk
(1795–1849) 		11th • March 4, 1845 – March 4, 1849 Initiated on June 5, 1820, in Columbia Lodge No. 31, Columbia, Tennessee
James Buchanan
(1791–1868) 		15th • March 4, 1857 – March 4, 1861 Initiated on December 11, 1816, in Lodge No. 43, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Appointed District Deputy Grand Master for the counties of Lancaster, Lebanon, and York in 1824
Andrew Johnson
(1808–1875) 		17th • April 15, 1865 – March 4, 1869 Initiated on May 5, 1851, in Greenville Lodge No. 119, Greeneville, Tennessee
James A. Garfield
(1831–1881) 		20th • March 4, 1881 – September 19, 1881 Initiated on November 19, 1861, in Magnolia Lodge No. 20, Columbus, Ohio and raised on November 22, 1864 in Columbus Lodge No. 30. Joined Garrettsville Lodge No. 246, Garrettsville, Ohio in 1866 and was its chaplain for the years 1868-69. Charter Member of Pentalpha Lodge No. 23, Washington, D.C.
William McKinley
(1843–1901) 		25th • March 4, 1897 – September 14, 1901 Initiated on May 1, 1865, in Hiram Lodge No. 21, Winchester, Virginia. Joined Canton Lodge No. 60, Canton, Ohio in 1867. Charter member of Eagle (later William McKinley) Lodge No. 431, also in Canton
Theodore Roosevelt
(1858–1919) 		26th • September 14, 1901 – March 4, 1909 Initiated on January 2, 1901, in Matinecock Lodge No. 806, Oyster Bay, New York. Raised to Master Mason on April 24, 1901[5]
William H. Taft
(1857–1930) 		27th • March 4, 1909 – March 4, 1913 Made a Mason at sight on February 18, 1909, in Kilwinning Lodge No. 356, Cincinnati, Ohio[6]
Warren G. Harding
(1865–1923) 		29th • March 4, 1921 – August 2, 1923 Initiated on June 28, 1901, in Marion Lodge No. 70, Marion, Ohio. Raised on August 27, 1920 in that Lodge.[3] 32nd Degree member of Scioto Consistory, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite[7]
Franklin D. Roosevelt
(1882–1945) 		32nd • March 4, 1933 – April 12, 1945 Initiated on October 11, 1911, in Holland Lodge No. 8, New York City. Made a Prophet-at-Sight in Tri-Po-Bed Grotto on October 30, 1931. Made Honorary Grand Master of the Order of DeMolay on April 13, 1934
Harry S. Truman
(1884–1972) 		33rd • April 12, 1945 – January 20, 1953 Initiated on February 9, 1909, in Belton Lodge No. 450, Belton, Missouri. First Worshipful Master of Grandview Lodge No. 618, Grandview, Missouri in 1911. Elected Grand Master of Missouri on September 25, 1940 and served until October 1, 1941. Received the 33rd Degree of the Scottish Rite on October 19, 1945. Made Honorary Grand Master of the Order of DeMolay on May 18, 1959
Lyndon B. Johnson

(1908–1973)

36th • November 22, 1963 – January 20, 1969 Initiated as Entered Apprentice on October 30, 1937 in Johnson City Lodge No. 561 at Johnson City, Texas. Did not advance any further and did not become a full member of his lodge.[8][9] Robert Caro does not mention Johnson's Masonic membership or failure to advance in Book One: The Path to Power of his four-volume biography of Johnson.
Gerald Ford
(1913–2006) 		38th • August 9, 1974 – January 20, 1977 Initiated on September 30, 1949, in Malta Lodge No. 465, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Passed on April 20, 1951 and raised on May 18 of that year in Columbia Lodge No. 3, Washington, D.C. Received the 33rd Degree on September 26, 1962. Made Honorary Grand Master of the Order of DeMolay in April 1975

In addition to the individuals listed above, Ronald Reagan was made an honorary Freemason,[10] and as a youth, Bill Clinton was a member of the Masonic youth group Order of DeMolay.[11]

Disputed

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Thomas Jefferson "is frequently, yet falsely, linked to the Freemasons," yet there is no record of him being initiated into any lodge, nor are there any references to Masonic membership in his personal papers.[12]

Joe Biden was declared a Master Mason at sight by the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of South Carolina on January 19, 2025.[13][14][2] The Pillar, however, have noted that "Biden would have to himself accept, even passively by not rejecting the designation, the conferred membership, the masons don’t have the power to make someone a member without consent, anymore than one person can marry another without their consent." They further question if this actually occurred, casting doubt on his Masonic membership.[14][15] Others have raised questions of Biden's legitimacy as a Master Mason given that the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of South Carolina "is not recognized as regular by any so-called mainstream U.S. grand lodge, the United Grand Lodge of England, or any other major regular, recognized Masonic jurisdiction."[2]

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  • Print portraying George Washington as Master of his Lodge
    Print portraying George Washington as Master of his Lodge
  • Portrait of Andrew Jackson in Masonic regalia as Grand Master
    Portrait of Andrew Jackson in Masonic regalia as Grand Master
  • Photograph of Andrew Johnson in Masonic Knights Templar uniform
    Photograph of Andrew Johnson in Masonic Knights Templar uniform
  • Photograph of Theodore Roosevelt in Spokane Masonic Temple 1905
    Photograph of Theodore Roosevelt in Spokane Masonic Temple 1905
  • Photograph of Warren G. Harding wearing Masonic Shriner's fez
    Photograph of Warren G. Harding wearing Masonic Shriner's fez
  • FDR becoming a member of Tri-Po-Bed Grotto
    FDR becoming a member of Tri-Po-Bed Grotto
  • Photograph of Harry S. Truman wearing Masonic regalia, with other dignitaries at the Masonic National Memorial
    Photograph of Harry S. Truman wearing Masonic regalia, with other dignitaries at the Masonic National Memorial

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ As of 2025. While there have been 47 presidencies, only 45 individuals have served as president. Two presidents have served non-consecutive terms: Grover Cleveland is numbered as both the 22nd and 24th U.S. president, and Donald Trump is numbered as both the 45th and 47th U.S. president.

References

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  1. ^ "No, It's Not the Handshakes, But a Gilded Hall, Grand and Gleaming". The New York Times. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Hodapp, Christopher (January 25, 2025). "Freemasons For Dummies: Prince Hall Grand Master of South Carolina Makes Joe Biden Freemason "At Sight"". Freemasons For Dummies. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Presidents that were Brother Masons". Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  4. ^ lcrawfor (January 16, 2025). "Freemasonry & Monroe". James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  5. ^ "The Raising: The Master Mason Degree of Theodore Roosevelt". Craftsmen Online. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  6. ^ "Making a Mason at Sight: The Case of President-Elect Taft". Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library Blog. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  7. ^ "Warren Harding Memorial Scottish Rite Masons Program". www.loriferber.com. Retrieved January 27, 2025.
  8. ^ "United States Masonic Presidents". freemasoninformation.com. February 20, 2009. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  9. ^ "All the Way with LBJ!". Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library Blog. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  10. ^ Creason, Todd E. "Ronald Reagan: Freemason or Not?". The Midnight Freemasons. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  11. ^ Morris, Brent S. (2013). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry: Discover the Rich and Fascinating History of This Mysterious Society (2nd ed.). Penguin. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-61564-407-0.
  12. ^ "Fraternal Organizations". The Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia. Charlottesville, Virginia: Thomas Jefferson Foundation. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  13. ^ "NEWS, EVENTS & SCHOLARSHIPS". COGMPrinceHallMasons. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  14. ^ a b "Did Joe Biden join the Freemasons?". The Pillar. January 25, 2025. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  15. ^ "Joe Biden, Freemason?". National Review. January 28, 2025. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
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