11/11/2025
In the 18th and 19th centuries, Freemasonry was a powerful cultural force among military officers.
• The Continental Marines (1775) and later the U.S. Marines were shaped by many men with Masonic affiliations, including officers of the Revolutionary era.
• Several prominent early Marines, such as Samuel Nicholas, the first Commandant of the Marine Corps, were associated with Masonic circles in Philadelphia and the taverns where both groups met (like Tun Tavern — a known Masonic meeting place).
Some famous veterans , also Freemasons, who fought for our freedom
🔹 Revolutionary War Era
• George Washington – General of the Continental Army, first U.S. President, and Worshipful Master of Alexandria Lodge No. 22 (Virginia).
• Marquis de Lafayette – French general and Masonic brother who fought beside Washington.
• John Paul Jones – Father of the U.S. Navy and a Mason.
• Benjamin Franklin – Diplomat and military organizer; Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.
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🔹 19th Century & Civil War
• Andrew Jackson – Major General in the War of 1812; U.S. President; Grand Master of Tennessee.
• James K. Polk – President and Mason; commanded militia units.
• Albert Pike – Confederate Brigadier General and one of the most influential Masonic philosophers in Scottish Rite history (Morals and Dogma).
• Winfield Scott Hancock – Union General and Mason, known as “Hero of Gettysburg.”
• Lewis Armistead – Confederate General and Mason; his death at Gettysburg was famously mourned by Union Masons who recognized his signs of distress on the battlefield.
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🔹 World War I & II
• Douglas MacArthur – Five-Star General of the Army; raised in Manila Lodge No. 1 (Philippines).
• George C. Marshall – WWII General and author of the Marshall Plan; Mason.
• Harry S. Truman – WWII-era U.S. President and Past Grand Master of Missouri.
• Franklin D. Roosevelt – Commander-in-Chief during WWII; initiated in Holland Lodge No. 8 (New York).
• Theodore Roosevelt – Rough Rider, U.S. President, and Mason of Matinecock Lodge No. 806.
• John J. Pershing – General of the Armies in WWI; member of Lincoln Lodge No. 19, Nebraska.
• Henry “Hap” Arnold – First General of the Air Force; Mason.
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🔹 Marines and Naval Brothers
• Samuel Nicholas – First Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps; strong ties to Masonic circles in Philadelphia, the site of Tun Tavern (birthplace of the Marines and Masonic meetings).
• Lewis “Chesty” Puller – The most decorated Marine in U.S. history; reports indicate Masonic affiliation, though records vary by jurisdiction.
• John Glenn – Marine aviator, astronaut, and U.S. Senator; Mason at Concord Lodge No. 688, Ohio.
• Admiral Richard E. Byrd – Naval explorer, Antarctic pioneer, and Mason.
• James E. “Jimmy” Doolittle – Air Force General and leader of the Doolittle Raid; Mason.
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🔹 Modern Veterans
• Buzz Aldrin – U.S. Air Force pilot and Apollo 11 astronaut; raised in Montclair Lodge No. 144, New Jersey.
• Colin Powell – U.S. Army General and Secretary of State; Prince Hall Mason.
• Lyndon B. Johnson – U.S. President, WWII Naval Officer, and Mason.
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🌍 International Masonic Veterans
• Winston Churchill – British Prime Minister and honorary U.S. citizen; Mason at Studholme Lodge No. 1591, London.
• King George VI – Served in WWI as a naval officer and was Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England.
• Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery – WWII British commander; Mason.
