American actor Michael Anthony Richards is one of the members of Riviera Masonic Lodge No. 780 Pacific Palisades, California.
Micheal debuted into the limelight during the Bill’s Crystal’s first cable show. At the time, he was a stand-up comedian.
Ever since, he has been featured in several movies from different genres, i.e. SitCom, romance, comedy, etc. Apart from being a renowned actor, he is also a writer and television producer.
High achievements have graced Micheal’s Freemasonry journey. He received the Knights Commander of the Court of Honor awards. He is also a member of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Masonic Jurisdiction.
Former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Scottie Pippen is a known Freemason. His involvement in the brotherhood caused a stir during his career, especially since his Chicago Bulls jersey was number 33, which is linked to Freemason symbols.
However, all these speculations were later put to rest. Scottie is among the highest-profile Prince Hall Masons. He balanced his Masonic duties and his basketball career very well in life.
Scottie is an NBA legend. In the 1990s, he led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles alongside Micheal Jordan. The two played a significant role in transforming the Bulls into a worldwide recognized team.
Shaquille was made a Freemason after retiring from his athlete career. His initiation was at Widow’s Son Lodge No.328, PHA in Massachusetts, London. He was made a ‘Master Mason” at sight.
This is one of the rarest honors to happen to anyone in the brotherhood. His 19 years long basketball career saw him rise in ranks of legends such as Kobe Bryant and Micheal Jordan.
Shaq is actively engaged in Freemason activities. He has been photographed several times with members of his Lodge and others.
William James ‘Count’ Basie, is one of the best jazz pianists and band leaders of the American jazz and swing era. Influenced by his mothers love for music, Count Basie studied the organ under famous musician and Freemason Fats Waller and began his career in the vaudeville circuit. In 1927, Basie found himself in Kansas City, Missouri and joined a 9-piece band, which he later led, and began performing in the midwest region of America. The “Basie band” was well-known for their “head arrangements,” as they generally memorized all of their music collectively in lieu of using sheet music. From the early 1930s through the 1950s Basie toured the United States creating music with his ever-growing ensemble and fine-tuning his sound. The troupe became a reliable, smart, and professional band releasing hits like, “Shorty George,” and “One O’Clock Jump,” the latter becoming a theme song for the ensemble. Basie’s music gained various Grammy nominations and in 2010 he was inducted into the Grammy’s Hall of Fame.
Count Basie was a member of Wisdom Lodge No. 102 and Medina Lodge No. 19, a Prince Hall Lodge in New York City. A Freemason, musician, and leader, Count Basie memorialized his place in the jazz world and was known by many as “The King of Swing.”
Born in Dublin, Swift took religious orders in 1694 and was appointed Dean of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin in 1713.
Author of such social satires as Gulliver’s Travels (1726) and A Modest Proposal, Swift is recorded as having expended a third of his income on charity.
Member: Lodge Goat-at-the-Foot-of-the-Haymarket, No. 16, London
Oscar Fingla O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was born on October 16, 1854 in Dublin, Ireland. Wilde attended Trinity College in Dublin where he studied Greek Literature and Philosophy, and later sparked interest in intellectual and artistic subjects. From the mid to late 1870's, Wilde attended Magdalen College, Oxford and soon made a name for himself for being a prominent propounder of the Decadent, and Aesthetic movements. During his third year at Magdalen College, Wilde was made a Mason at Apollo Masonic Lodge at Oxford, and later joined the Churchill Lodge where he served as Inner Guard and Senior Deacon from 1876-1877. Wilde is best known as poet, playwright, and author. Brother Wilde was called from labor on November 30, 1900 and is now laid to rest at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, France.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) was the author of fifty-six short stories and three novels with Sherlock Holmes and John H. Watson M.D., as the principal characters.
Conan Doyle was not a particularly active freemason. One widely quoted report in the October 1901 Masonic Illustrated claims: "While at the seat of war, he attended the never-to-be-forgotten scratch lodge at Bloemfontein in company with Bro. Rudyard Kipling." In fact, Kipling was in Bloemfontein only between March 17 and April 3, 1900, a period when Rising Star Lodge No. 1022 E.C., the only lodge meeting in that part of South Africa, did not meet. At an April 5, 1900 meeting letters were received by the lodge from both Lord Kitchener and Conan Doyle, expressing their regrets at being unable to attend. A "loyal resolution" to be sent to the Prince of Wales was proposed by Kitchener at an April 23, 1900 meeting; a document signed by both Lord Roberts, who had not been present at the meeting, and Conan Doyle. The minutes of the lodge’s November 7, 1901 meeting refute the newspaper report and deny that Bros. Doyle and Kipling had ever visited their lodge. Also in 1900 Conan Doyle was made an honorary member of The Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary’s Chapel) No. 1 in recognition of his acceptance of an invitation to speak at a Burns' Night Dinner.
There is no mention of Freemasonry in his autobiography, Memories and Adventures and it is said that "Dr. Doyle looked in on Freemasonry and soon looked out again." There are, however seven distinct and several other oblique references to Freemasonry in his fiction.
Twain was born in 1835 in Missouri. The death of his father and his natural intellect sent him to work before his teens as a newspaper typesetter. Shortly thereafter, he was a columnist at his brother’s newspaper where he later became assistant editor and, when his brother was out of town, boldly whipped up a feud with another local paper.
Twain found homes throughout the United States, from St. Louis to New York, Philadelphia, small-town Iowa, and New Orleans. He worked many years as a newspaperman and typesetter before taking up the unlikely vocation of river pilot. Eventually, he’d also work as a miner, serve briefly in the Confederate Army, tour the Hawaiian Islands, and live abroad.
By the time Twain became an Entered Apprentice at Polar Star Lodge No. 79 in St. Louis, he’d already published his first story, “The Dandy Frightening the Squatter.” But just after he was raised to Master Mason in July 1861, he left Missouri and his lodge to join his brother in Nevada. Not long after, he continued his journalism career, working as the editor for a Nevada newspaper, as well as several others, sometimes under his own name and other times favoring pseudonyms. During his travels, Twain stopped paying his lodge dues and his Masonic membership was suspended.
But his association with Masonry was not at its end. In February 1865, Twain served as senior deacon at Bear Mountain Lodge No. 75 in California’s Gold Country.
Later that year, he published his first well-received short story, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.” Using the keen observation of a journalist and the humor of a fiction writer, Twain soon found himself writing travelogues of his trips to Europe and around the West for magazines in New York, some of which were turned into books. Lecture tours followed.
Unfortunately, as Twain’s career blossomed, his participation in the fraternity waned. He demitted in 1869. But it appears that Masonry still remained on his mind.
A versatile and well-regarded composer, J.C. Bach's music was famous for its operatic and gallant style. By the late 1770s, however, Bach's interests became increasingly spiritual, and he was initiated into Freemasonry in 1778 in the Lodge of Nine Muses, No. 235. Brother Johann Christian Bach received his summons to the Eternal Grand Lodge on New Year's Day 1782, after a lifetime of creating undying music for the world.
As a Freemason, Glenn had a long and accomplished journey beginning in 1964 when he petitioned Concord Lodge No. 688 in his hometown of New Concord, Ohio. While he was elected to receive the Masonic degrees, his busy schedule consistently interfered with his ability to receive the degrees for another 14 years. It wasn’t until August 19, 1978, that he gained his degrees in a “Mason at Sight” ceremony conducted by the Grand Master of Ohio, Jerry C. Rasor. Due to his celebrity status as a Senator and astronaut, the ceremony proved to be a major event. In fact, the nearby high school gymnasium in Chillicothe was the only building big enough to accommodate the hundreds of Masons that were in attendance.
John would go on to receive the Scottish Rite Degrees in the Valley of Cincinnati on April 11, 1997. The very next year he was named Sovereign Grand Inspector General and became a 33rd degree Scottish Rite Mason, Honorary Member of the Supreme Council. Indeed, he was wearing his 33rd degree ring when he made history once more as he returned to the stars on October 29, 1998. On this date, he became the oldest man in history to travel to space at the age of 77 – a record that remains unbroken.
Brother Fleming was initiated into London’s Sancta Maria Lodge No. 2682 in 1909 at 27 years of age. He was an active Mason and served as a Past Junior Grand Warden of the United Grand Lodge of England in 1942. He was also a member of Misericordia Lodge No. 3286.
Jenner was raised a Master Mason in 1802 and was a member of Lodge of Faith and Friendship #270 in Gloucestershire, England. He was active in the fraternity, serving in 1812 as Master of his lodge. This lodge was regularly visited by the Prince of Wales – the future George IV – who would play a significant role in Jenner’s life. In 1821, having known him to be a man of integrity from their time together in lodge, the now King George IV appointed Jenner to be his physician extraordinary.
Brother Aldrin was initiated into Freemasonry at Oak Park Lodge No. 864 in Alabama and raised at Lawrence N. Greenleaf Lodge No. 169 in Colorado. He is also a member of the York Rite and Arabia Shrine Temple of Houston. Before his journey to the moon, Aldrin received a special deputation from the Grand Master of Texas, J. Guy Smith, to open a Representation of the Grand Lodge of Texas on the Moon and establish Masonic Territorial Jurisdiction there for the Grand Lodge of Texas.
We can thank Brother Joseph Lister for pioneering antiseptics in medicine which has saved untold numbers of lives. Brother Lister’s research into bacteriology became a foundational piece of preventative medicine: that bacteria should not enter an open wound. This led to an overhaul in medical practices, including the use of antiseptics to clean wounds and surgical instruments.
Mozart’s masonic music falls into three broad categories: music he wrote specifically for the lodge, music intended for the public but built on masonic themes, and music he wrote for other purposes, but which was adapted, either by himself or others, for masonic use.
K.53 Lied: An die Freude. Masonic poem set to music.
K.93 Psalm 129: De Profundis Clamavi for mixed choir and orchestra. Composed in Salzburg in 1771 and later adapted to masonic use by the composer.
K.148 O Heiliges Band (The hallowed bond of friendship) for tenor and piano. Composed in 1772 and adopted for Freemasonry; probably sung at refreshment
K.273 Graduale ad Festum B.M.V.: "Sancta Maria, mater Die for mixed choir and orchestra. Composed in 1777 and later adopted by the lodge.
K. 345 Thamos, Thamos Konig in Agypten (King of Egypt). Drama by Tobias Philipp Baron von Gebler (1773, revised 1779) Mozart’s incidental music themes are claimed to be heavily masonic.
K.410 Canonic Adagio for 2 bassett horns and bassoon. Composed in 1784, ritual procession music.
K.411 Adagio for 2 Clarinets and 3 Bassett Horns. (Probably intended as a processional entrance for the lodge.
K.429 Cantata: Dir, Seele des Weltalls. Composed for a public masonic celebration.
K.468 Gesellenreise. (Fellow Craft’s Journey) Bro. Franz Joseph v. Ratschky’s verse on the journey to greater knowledge, first performed in Lodge True Concord on 16 April 1785 for Mozart’s father’s Fellowcraft Degree.
K.471 Cantata: Die Maurerfreude (Masonic Joy). Words by Franz Petran, composed on 20 April 1785 and first performed in Lodge Zur gerkronten Hoffnung (Lodge Crowned Hope) on 24 April 1785 to honor Ignaz von Born, Grand Master of the United Lodges.
K.477 Maurerische Trauermusik (Masonic Funeral Music). Composed in Vienna on 10 November 1785 for a Lodge of Sorrows held by Lodge Crowned Hope a week later for the funerals of Bro. Georg August, Duke of Mecklenburg-Streletz and Bro. Franz, Count Esterhazy of Galantha.
K.482 Piano Concerto in Eb Major. Written for and performed at a concert given by the Lodge Zur gekronten Hoffnung, 15 December 1785.
K.483 Zerfließet heut', geliebte Brüder. Composed in December of 1785 for Lodge Crowned Hope. Text by Bro. Augustin Veith Edler von Schittlersberg, Senior Warden of Lodge True Concord for the opening of a lodge.
K.484 Ihr unsre neuen Leiter. Composed in December of 1785 for Lodge Crowned Hope. Text by Bro. Augustin Veith Edler von Schittlersberg, Senior Warden of Lodge True Concord for the opening of a lodge.
K.543 Symphony No. 39 in Eb. Written as a celebration of the Craft and the joy of living: see Alfred Einstein’s notes on its masonic significance.
K.546 Adagio and Fugue in C Minor. Not originally written for masonic use.
K.617 Adagio and Rondo for Flute, Oboe, Viola, Cello, and Celesta. Written while Mozart was working on The Magic Flute and performed at refreshment in lodge.
K.618 Motet: Ave Verum Corpus. Not originally written for masonic use.
K.619 Cantata: Die ihr des unermeßlichen Weltalls Schöpfer ehrt. Text by Franz Zeigenhagen, composed at the request of his lodge.
K.620 Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) Zum Ziele führt dich diese Bahn in which the hero is admonished to be steadfast, tolerant and discreet. Wenn Tugend und Gerechtigkeit "When virtue and justice spread the path of the great with fame...." Libretto written by Bro. Emanuel Schikaneder. First performed 30 September 1791. Jacques Chailley notes, "The second act is occupied entirely by initiatory trials." These trials, a part of the Entered Apprentice degree of Continental Freemasonry, evoke the four elements of Earth, Air, Water, and Fire. The frontispiece of the original printed libretto of 1791 shows a blazing star and what looks like a compasses and a trowel in an Egyptian setting.
K.623 Eine Kleine Freimaurerkantate (Little Masonic Cantata). Composed in Vienna on 15 November 1791 with the text purportedly by Bro. Emanuel Schikaneder. Written for the dedication of Lodge Zur neugekronten Hoffnung (Lodge New Crowned Hope). Performance held 18 November 1791. This was the last work completed by Mozart.
K.623b Chorus: "Lasst uns mit geschlungen Handen". Written as part of the same dedication service as above.
K.626 Requiem Mass. Later adopted for masonic funerals.
According to lodge records, Mozart wrote the music for two additional songs during 1785—Des Todes Werk and Vollbracht ist die Arbeit der Meister (The Work of Death and The Work of the Masters is Finished)—which have been lost.
James Abram Garfield (1831-1881)
President 1881
Tragically assassinated in the first year of his presidency, James Garfield had been a serving Union officer during the Civil War. Initiated in Magnolia Lodge, Ohio in 1861, his progress was hindered by the war but he joined several lodges in Ohio and later in the District of Columbia when he became a Congressman.
James Knox Polk (1795-1849)
President 1845-1849
Like Andrew Jackson, Polk was a Tennessee freemason, having been initiated in Columbia Lodge No. 21, Columbia in 1820.
James Monroe (1758-1831)
President 1817-1825
During the War of Independence, eighteen-year-old James Monroe was initiated into St. John’s Regimental Lodge, Continental Army in 1775. He later joined of a lodge in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Gerald Rudolph Ford (1931-2006)
President 1974-1977
So far, Gerald Rudolph Ford, is the last Presidential Master Mason. He was initiated in Malta Lodge, Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1949 but was raised a Master Mason in Columbia Lodge, Washington, DC.
Harry Truman (1884-1972)
President 1945-1952
Roosevelt’s Vice-President and successor, Harry Truman, had been initiated in Belton Lodge, Missouri in 1909 and clocked up over fifty years in freemasonry. Active in many orders of freemasonry, he was elected the ninety-seventh Grand Master of Missouri in 1941.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945)
President 1933-1945
America’s longest serving President became a freemason in Holland Lodge, New York in 1911 and remained an active freemason for the rest of his life. In 1935 he presided over Architect Lodge, New York, when his sons Elliot and Franklin Delano Jr were made Master Masons in their own right.
Warren Gamaliel Harding (1865-1923)
President 1921-1923
The fourth freemason president from Ohio, Harding had been initiated in Marion Lodge, Ohio in 1901 but after a dispute with lodge members, did not become a Master Mason until 1920. He died in office in 1923.
William Howard Taft (1857-1930)
President 1909-1913
In 1909, the year he became President, William Taft was made a 'mason at sight' at a special ceremony by the Grand Master of Ohio in Kilwinning Lodge, Cincinnati. Making a 'mason on sight' is a privilege exercised by Grand Masters of some US Grand Lodges, in which a candidate receives the first three degrees of freemasonry in one event.
William McKinley (1843-1901)
President 1897-1901
As a Union officer during the Civil War, McKinley was initiated into freemasonry in a Confederate lodge in Winchester, Virginia, after witnessing a Union doctor and freemason helping Confederate prisoners. He was a founder member of Eagle Lodge in Canton, Ohio, which changed its name to William McKinley Lodge after he was assassinated in 1901.
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)
President 1901-1909
Vice-President Teddy Roosevelt unexpectedly became President in 1901 after the assassination of William McKinley. A few months earlier he had been made a freemason in Matinecock Lodge in Oyster Bay, New York and continued attending lodges throughout his presidency. He was famously photographed as a Master Mason in Spokane Lodge, Washington State.
George Washington (1732-1799)
President 1789-1797
The first President was initiated in Fredericksburg Lodge, Virginia in 1752 aged 20. He joined Alexandria Lodge, Virginia in 1782 and laid the cornerstone of the Capitol Building, Washington in a masonic ceremony.
