Famous Freemasons
From the Founding Fathers who shaped America to astronauts who walked on the moon — Freemasonry has counted among its members some of the most influential figures in history.
Showing 58 notable Freemasons
George Washington
Fredericksburg Lodge No. 4, Virginia
Initiated: 1752
First US President. Laid the cornerstone of the US Capitol in full Masonic regalia in 1793.
James Monroe
Williamsburg Lodge No. 6, Virginia
Initiated: 1775
5th US President. Initiated during the American Revolution.
Andrew Jackson
Harmony Lodge No. 1, Tennessee
Initiated: 1800
7th US President and Grand Master of Tennessee (1822–1824).
James K. Polk
Columbia Lodge No. 31, Tennessee
Initiated: 1820
11th US President. Expanded the US to the Pacific coast.
James Buchanan
Lodge No. 43, Lancaster, PA
Initiated: 1817
15th US President and Master of his lodge.
Andrew Johnson
Greeneville Lodge No. 119, Tennessee
Initiated: 1851
17th US President. Remained loyal to the Union as a Southern Mason.
James A. Garfield
Magnolia Lodge No. 20, Ohio
Initiated: 1864
20th US President. Initiated while serving as a Union Army general.
William McKinley
Hiram Lodge No. 21, Virginia
Initiated: 1865
25th US President. Champion of American industrial growth.
Theodore Roosevelt
Matinecock Lodge No. 806, New York
Initiated: 1901
26th US President. Joined Freemasonry while already in the White House.
William Howard Taft
Kilwinning Lodge No. 356, Ohio
Initiated: 1909
27th US President and later Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Warren G. Harding
Marion Lodge No. 70, Ohio
Initiated: 1920
29th US President. Raised to Master Mason while a US Senator.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Holland Lodge No. 8, New York
Initiated: 1911
32nd US President. Led America through the Great Depression and WWII. Also a 32° Scottish Rite Mason and a Shriner.
Harry S. Truman
Belton Lodge No. 450, Missouri
Initiated: 1909
33rd US President and Grand Master of Missouri (1940–1941). One of the most devoted Masonic presidents. Received the 33° of the Scottish Rite.
Gerald Ford
Malta Lodge No. 465, Michigan
Initiated: 1949
38th US President. The last confirmed Masonic president. Received the 33° Scottish Rite.
Benjamin Franklin
St. John's Lodge, Philadelphia
Initiated: 1731
Founding Father, inventor, diplomat. Served as Grand Master of Pennsylvania (1734). Published the first Masonic book in America.
John Hancock
St. Andrew's Lodge, Boston
Initiated: 1762
First signer of the Declaration of Independence. His famous bold signature became an American icon.
Paul Revere
St. Andrew's Lodge, Boston
Initiated: 1760
Revolutionary War hero. Served as Grand Master of Massachusetts (1795–1797).
Marquis de Lafayette
Various French and American lodges
Initiated: 1775
French hero of the American Revolution. His Masonic connections helped forge the Franco-American alliance.
John Paul Jones
St. Bernard Lodge No. 122, Scotland
Initiated: 1770
Father of the American Navy. Famous for declaring "I have not yet begun to fight!"
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Zur Wohltätigkeit, Vienna
Initiated: 1784
One of history's greatest composers. Wrote several pieces for Masonic ceremonies, including "The Magic Flute."
Louis Armstrong
Montgomery Lodge No. 18, New York (Prince Hall)
Initiated: 1948
Legendary jazz trumpeter. A proud Prince Hall Mason who often wore his Masonic ring during performances.
Duke Ellington
Social Lodge No. 1, Washington DC (Prince Hall)
Initiated: 1932
Jazz legend and composer of over 1,000 pieces. One of the most influential musicians of the 20th century.
Nat King Cole
Thomas Waller Lodge No. 49, California (Prince Hall)
Initiated: 1944
Beloved singer and pianist. First African American to host a national TV show.
Count Basie
Wisdom Lodge No. 102, New York (Prince Hall)
Initiated: 1940s
Iconic jazz bandleader whose orchestra defined the swing era.
Jean Sibelius
Suomi Lodge No. 1, Helsinki
Initiated: 1922
Finland's greatest composer. His "Finlandia" became an unofficial national anthem. He composed Masonic ritual music.
John Wayne
Marion McDaniel Lodge No. 56, Arizona
Initiated: 1970
Iconic American actor. Became a 32° Scottish Rite Mason and a Shriner.
Clark Gable
Beverly Hills Lodge No. 528, California
Initiated: 1933
The "King of Hollywood" and star of "Gone with the Wind."
Harry Houdini
St. Cecile Lodge No. 568, New York
Initiated: 1923
World-famous magician and escape artist. Despite his fame for exposing frauds, he valued Masonic brotherhood deeply.
W.C. Fields
E. Coppee Mitchell Lodge No. 605, Pennsylvania
Initiated: 1908
Legendary comedian and actor known for his sardonic humor.
Oliver Hardy
Solomon Lodge No. 20, Florida
Initiated: 1927
Half of the iconic comedy duo Laurel & Hardy. A devoted Mason and Shriner.
Peter Sellers
Chelsea Lodge No. 3098, London
Initiated: 1948
Brilliant comedic actor known for "The Pink Panther" and "Dr. Strangelove."
Walt Disney
Mother Lodge No. 367, DeMolay (youth org)
Initiated: 1920s
Though often listed as a Mason, Disney was actually a DeMolay member. He received the DeMolay Legion of Honor for his contributions to youth.
Winston Churchill
Studholme Alliance Lodge No. 1591, London
Initiated: 1901
British Prime Minister who led Britain through WWII. Initiated at age 26, though he became less active in later years.
Simón Bolívar
Various lodges in Europe and South America
Initiated: 1803
The "Liberator" of South America. Used Masonic networks to coordinate independence movements across the continent.
José de San Martín
Lautaro Lodge, Buenos Aires
Initiated: 1810s
Liberator of Argentina, Chile, and Peru. His Lautaro Lodge was instrumental in South American independence.
King Edward VII
Grand Master of UGLE
Initiated: 1868
King of the United Kingdom. Served as Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England for 27 years before becoming King.
Giuseppe Garibaldi
Various Italian lodges
Initiated: 1844
Italian revolutionary hero who unified Italy. Served as Grand Master of Italian Freemasonry.
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Macedonia Risorta Lodge, Thessaloniki
Initiated: 1907
Founder of modern Turkey. Used Masonic principles of secularism and progress in shaping the new Turkish republic.
Buzz Aldrin
Clear Lake Lodge No. 1417, Texas
Initiated: 1955
Second man to walk on the moon (Apollo 11, 1969). Carried a Masonic flag to the lunar surface and performed a brief Masonic ceremony.
John Glenn
Concord Lodge No. 688, Ohio
Initiated: 1978
First American to orbit the Earth (1962). Later became a US Senator from Ohio.
Meriwether Lewis
Door to Virtue Lodge No. 44, Virginia
Initiated: 1797
Led the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806), exploring the American West to the Pacific Ocean.
William Clark
St. Louis Lodge No. 111, Missouri
Initiated: 1809
Co-leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Later served as Governor of Missouri Territory.
Alexander Fleming
Sancta Maria Lodge No. 2682, London
Initiated: 1909
Discovered penicillin in 1928, revolutionizing medicine. His discovery has saved hundreds of millions of lives.
Charles Lindbergh
Keystone Lodge No. 243, Missouri
Initiated: 1926
Made the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight in 1927, becoming the most famous person in the world overnight.
Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi
Lodge Alsace-Lorraine, Paris
Initiated: 1875
French sculptor who designed the Statue of Liberty. The statue's cornerstone was laid in a Masonic ceremony in 1884.
Mark Twain
Polar Star Lodge No. 79, Missouri
Initiated: 1861
America's greatest humorist and author of "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Used Masonic themes in several works.
Voltaire
Lodge of the Nine Sisters, Paris
Initiated: 1778
Enlightenment philosopher. Initiated just months before his death, with Benjamin Franklin present at the ceremony.
Oscar Wilde
Apollo University Lodge No. 357, Oxford
Initiated: 1875
Brilliant playwright and wit. Initiated while a student at Oxford. Rose through all three degrees rapidly.
Rudyard Kipling
Hope and Perseverance Lodge No. 782, Lahore
Initiated: 1886
Nobel Prize-winning author. Freemasonry deeply influenced his writings, especially "The Man Who Would Be King" and "Kim."
Arthur Conan Doyle
Phoenix Lodge No. 257, Hampshire
Initiated: 1887
Creator of Sherlock Holmes. Some scholars believe Holmes' deductive methods reflect Masonic traditions of seeking hidden truths.
Robert Burns
St. David's Lodge, Tarbolton
Initiated: 1781
Scotland's national poet. Wrote several Masonic poems and songs. Served as Deputy Master of his lodge.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Amalia Lodge, Weimar
Initiated: 1780
Germany's greatest literary figure. Incorporated Masonic symbolism extensively in "Faust" and "Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship."
Benjamin Franklin (also listed under Founders)
St. John's Lodge, Philadelphia
Initiated: 1731
Beyond politics, Franklin was a prolific writer, scientist, and philosopher whose Masonic connections spanned two continents.
Arnold Palmer
Loyalhanna Lodge No. 275, Pennsylvania
Initiated: 1958
Legendary golfer known as "The King." One of golf's most beloved figures and a 33° Scottish Rite Mason.
Jack Dempsey
Kenmore Lodge No. 45, New York
Initiated: 1920s
World heavyweight boxing champion (1919–1926). One of the most popular athletes of his era.
Ty Cobb
Royston Lodge No. 426, Georgia
Initiated: 1907
Baseball Hall of Famer with the highest career batting average (.366). The "Georgia Peach" held dozens of records.
Sugar Ray Robinson
Joppa Lodge No. 55, New York (Prince Hall)
Initiated: 1999 (posthumous)
Widely regarded as the greatest boxer pound-for-pound in history.
Jesse Jackson
Harmony Lodge No. 88, Illinois (Prince Hall)
Initiated: 1987
Civil rights leader and two-time presidential candidate. A prominent Prince Hall Mason.
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