Famous Masons

Here are just a few famous Freemasons from various walks of life, many of whom have made great efforts to attempt to improve the lot of their fellow man, wherever and whoever he may be...

Below is a list of links to sections on this page. The classifications are somewhat aribtrary as its difficult to decide where some of these great men should be slotted in. The list is also arbitrary as I have selected the people to list and is by no means an official list.
As I'm writing from an English Mason's point of view, I have tried to include British Mason's and not so many American's, especially the plethora of Senators, Supreme Coourt Judges, army officers, etc, as many will have no real meaning to a lot of British people.

  • Scientists & Inventors
  • Explorers & Adventurers
  • Poets & Authors
  • Composers & Artists
  • Industrialists
  • Entertainers
  • Politicians
  • Royalty
  • Other Notables
    • Scientists & Inventors
  • Sir Alexander Fleming - British bacteriologist who discovered penicillin in 1928.
  • Edward Jenner - English physician. Discoverer of small pox vaccine.
  • Frank Hoover - A brand of vacuum cleaners is named after him.
  • Franz Anton Mesmer - Practiced Mesmerism, the precursor of hypnosis in modern psychotherapy.
  • Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins - English biochemist. Nobel prize winner for medicine 1929. Discovered essential amino acids and researched vitamins.
  • Henri Dunant - Philanthropist who inspired the founding of the Red Cross
  • John Loudon Macadam – Scottish engineer. Developed the smooth waterproof road surface.
  • John Theophilus Desaguliers - Inventor of the planetarium.
  • Sir Joseph Banks - Noted naturalist who accompanied Capt. Cook on his journeys around the world. Founded Kew Gardens.
  • Simon Lake - Engineer who built the first submarine to operate successfully in open sea.
  • Dr T. J. Barnardo (1845 - 1905) – Founded the Barnardoes Home for Orphaned Boys.
  • RJ Mitchell (1895 - 1937) - Designer of the iconoclastic Spitfire series of planes.
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    Explorers & Adventurers
  • Edwin E. Aldrin - Known as "Buzz" - American astronaut who as a crew member of Apollo 11 became the second human being to walk on the moon (July 20, 1969).
  • Bruce, James of Kinnaird - Scottish explorer who made an epic voyage to Abyssinia in the 18th century. Not as widely known, however, is that he was a considerable scholar who brought back from Abyssinia three copies of the Book of Enoch, the apocryphal book which relates to the Royal Arch Degrees, certain of the Scottish Rite Degrees and to the Royal Order of Scotland. The book did not make it into the Biblical canon primarily because no complete copy existed in Europe prior to Kinnaird's journey. The copies he brought back were in the Abyssinian language which he learned before going there although no one knows how!
  • Charles Lindbergh - American aviator who made the first solo transatlantic flight.
  • Sir Donald Campbell – Water and Land Speed record holder.
  • Elisha Kent Kane - Polar explorer and physician
  • Sir Ernest Shackleton (1874 - 1922) - One of the most famous of all Antarctic explorers.
  • John Glenn, Jr. - U. S. astronaut and first American to orbit the earth in a space craft in 1962, he became a U. S. Senator from Ohio from 1974 through 1998 and in November, 1998, returned to space 36 years after his original journey as the oldest American astronaut.
  • Sir Malcom Campbell – Land speed record holder – father of Sir Donald Campbell.
  • Admiral Robert E. Peary - First man to reach the North Pole (1909)
  • Capt Robert Falcon Scott, RN (1868 - 1912) - Polar explorer.
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    Poets & Authors
  • Aleksandr Sergeyvich Pushkin - Famous Russian poet and author who, among other works, wrote "Boris Godunov".
  • Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - British physician and writer, creator of the famous "Sherlock Holmes".
  • Carlo Collodi - Writer of 'Pinocchio'
  • Felix Salten - Creator of Bambi
  • Jonathan Swift – Irish poet and writer. Author of the children's book Gulliver's travels.
  • Peter Grenville (P. G.) Wodehouse, KBE - British legendary comedy writer & creator of Bertie Wooster and Jeeves.
  • Robbie Burns - The National Poet of Scotland. His lyrics, written in dialect and infused with humour, celebrate love, patriotism, and rustic life. Freemasonry was more important to him than any other institution in Scotland! His life is celebrated on the 25th of January every year by reciting his poems, most famously ‘To a Haggis’, at a meal including cockaleakie soup, haggis, neeps (turnips or swedes mashed with lots of butter and freshly ground black pepper) and tatties (mashed potatoes).
  • Rudyard Kipling - British writer who won the Nobel Prize for literature. Many of his works have strong Masonic themes and some are specifically about Freemasonry, despite the fact that he was only active in his lodge for a brief period of time. Eschewing most honours, Bro. Kipling accepted recognition from Freemasonry by being named one of forty living Fellows of the Philalethes Society.
  • Samuel L. “Mark Twain” Clemens - Writer and humorist. His famous works include the characters of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.
  • Sir Walter Scott - Novelist and poet, his journal is an important record of the times in which he lived.
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    Composers & Artists
  • Sir Arthur Sullivan (1842 - 1900) – partner of William S Gilbert, both of whom wrote many comic operas including The Mikado, Iolanthe, and Pirates of Penzance.
  • Franz Joseph Haydn - Austrian composer who exerted great influence on the development of the classical symphony.
  • Frederic Bartholdi - French sculptor best known for his figure of Liberty
  • Franz Listz – Hungarian composer.
  • Irving Berlin - Entertainer and songwriter who wrote more than 1,500 songs including "Alexander's Ragtime Band" (1911) and several musical comedies like Annie Get Your Gun (1946)
  • Jean Sibelius - Finnish composer whose symphonic poems reflect a romantic and intensely nationalistic approach to music. One of his most famous pieces is the tone poem, Finlandia (1899). Brother Sibelius composed a whole ritual music covering all degree work in Craft Lodges (Opus 113, Musique Religieuse) and is the only complete ritual music for organs and vocalist.
  • Thomas Arne (1710 - 1778) - wrote the patriotic classic - Rule Britannia, sung at the Proms.
  • Sir William S. Gilbert - British playwright and lyricist known for a series of comic operas including "H.M.S. Pinafore" and "The Pirates of Penzance" written with composer Sir Arthur Sullivan.
  • William Hogarth (1697 - 1764) - Famous British painter.
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) - Austrian composer considered among the greatest and most prolific composers in history. Of his more than 600 compositions, the finest works, including his last three symphonies (1788) and the operas Don Giovanni (1787)and The Magic Flute (1791), were written in the last five years of his short life.
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    Industrialists
  • Andre Citroen - French engineer and motor car manufacturer
  • Eberhard Faber - Head of the famous Eberhard Faber Pencil Company.
  • George Pullman - Inventor and businessman, he built first sleeping car on train which became a standard throughout the world.
  • Henry Ford - Invented the first gasoline powered automobile in 1893, founded Ford Motor Company in 1903 and mass-produced the first widely available and affordable car.
  • J. (James) C. Penney - US retailer who donated large amounts of money to charity
  • Jacob Perkins - Early American Engraver and Engineer; emigrated to England in 1819 and established the bank note firm of Perkins, Fairman and Heath; this firm produced the first British postage stamps, including the famous "Penny Black".
  • John Molson - Founder of Molson Breweries.
  • King C. Gillette - American inventor and manufacturer who developed the safety razor and founded the Gillette Safety Razor Co.
  • Sir Thomas Lipton - Scotttish merchant, adventurer and yacht racer who opened a successful chain of grocery stores in Great Britain including the famous Lipton's Tea House, and established tea processing factories in England and the US.
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    Entertainers
  • Al Jolson - American vaudeville and film performer, whose trademark became minstrel-style singing in blackface makeup. He starred in 'The Jazz Singer', the first important motion 'talking' picture with synchronized sound.
  • Bernard Breslaw – Famous for the ‘Carry on’ films.
  • Bob Monkhouse – English actor, raconteur, compare and comedian.
  • Cecil B. DeMille - Film director. DeMille directed the first Hollywood film, The Squaw Man, in 1914. DeMille became the creative genius behind Paramount Pictures and was integral to Hollywood's development as the film capitol of the world. Two of his greatest film successes were The Ten Commandments (1923, remade 1956) and The Greatest Show on Earth(1952).
  • Clark Gable - American actor who played opposite nearly every major female star during the 1930's. Perhaps best remembered for his role as Rhett Butler in 'Gone with the Wind', he had received an Academy Award as Best Actor (in the Best Movie) of 1934 ('It Happened One Night').
  • Duke Ellington - American jazz composer, orchestrator, bandleader, and pianist, considered the greatest composer in the history of jazz music and one of the greatest musicians of the 20th Century.
  • Ernest Borgnine - Film and television actor. He played Cabbie in the John Carpenter film Escape from New York. Also starred in the TV series Airwolf. He actively serves Freemasonry and is presently the Honorary Chairman of a program to support the Scottish Rite Childhood Language Center in Richmond.
  • Grock - Swiss Circus Clown, known as the "King of Clowns" and recognized for his virtuosity in both circus and theatre.
  • Harold Lloyd - Entertainer and American silent film actor.
  • Harry (Ehrich Weiss) Houdini - Premiere American magician known for his escapes from chains, handcuffs, straitjackets and padlocked containers, he was immensely proud of his Masonic affiliations and became a Shriner just before his untimely death.
  • Jack Warner - One of the brothers who created the American motion-picture production company known as Warner Brothers. They were the first to use sequences of sound in a silent feature film.
  • John Wayne - "The Duke" - One of the most popular actors of recent years. His 'manly' roles
  • Louis B. Mayer - Film producer who merged to form Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) helped define a generation.
  • Mel Blanc - If you've heard cartoon characters Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Barney Rubble of the Flintstones, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester the cat or others, you've heard the voice of this 50+ year Mason who brought so much pleasure to so many children for so many years.
  • Nat 'King' Cole - Great pianist and ballad singer
  • Oliver Hardy - American comedian, famous for the slapstick abuse he inflicted upon his partner, Stan Laurel.
  • Peter Sellers - English actor and comedian, his popularity was unrivalled as the incompetent Inspector Clouseau in a series of films that began with The Pink Panther (1963) and extended beyond his death to The Trail of the Pink Panther (1982). He received an Oscar nomination for 'Being There' (1980). Founding member of the unrivalled radio comedians The Goons
  • Telly Savalas - Actor who became famous as the bald police detective who was strong on
  • William "Count" Basie - Orchestra leader/composer.
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    Royalty
  • Arthur William Patrick Albert / Prince Arthur - Third son of Queen Victoria and the longest serving Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England.
  • Edward VII - Prince of Wales and subsequently King of England.
  • Edward VIII - King of England who abdicated the throne in less than 1 year in order to marry the woman he loved.
  • Frederick II ("The Great") - King of Prussia (1712-1786) Effective military commander, music composer, patron of literature and the arts and institutor of many social reforms.
  • George VI - King of England during World War II.
  • Kalakaua, King David - Last monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
  • Kamehameha (s), King (III, IV, and V) - all of whom were Monarchs of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
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    Politicians
  • Eduard Benes - President of Czechoslovakia elected in 1935, he led his nation's government into exile after the outbreak of World War II. He resigned in 1948 when he was forced to yield to a Communist directed cabinet.
  • Sir Mackenzie Bowell - British-born Canadian Prime Minister 1894-96 who later led the Conservative opposition.
  • Tony Baldry - Current (1999) UK Member, House of Commons
  • Sir Winston Churchill - British politician and writer. Prime Minister (1940-1945 and 1951-1955). His inspiration is often credited with helping Britain survive under the onslaught of Hitler's evil.
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    Other Notables
  • Arnold Palmer - Golf Professional who for years set the example to make golf a 'gentlemen's' sport.
  • Arthur, Duke of Wellington – British soldier and statesman. Defeated Napoleon at Waterloo.
  • Geoffrey Fisher - English churchman, the 99th Archbishop of Canterbury. He became Bishop of London in 1939, and archbishop of Canterbury in 1945. Fisher was a distinguished pastor and administrator, helping to reorganize the work of the Church of England after World War II. As President of the World Council of Churches (1946-54), he was a vigorous proponent of ecumenism.
  • W. H. Jack Dempsey - Became a professional boxer in 1912 and fought in more than 100 semi-pro and professional bouts before winning the heavyweight championship in 1919. He successfully defended his title five times before losing to Gene Tunney in an upset in 1926. In the rematch in 1927, Dempsey knocked Tunney down in the seventh round but delayed going to a neutral corner, so the referee gave the controversial "long count" (estimated from 14 to 21 seconds) and Tunney went on to win on points. Later became a restaurant owner in New York.
  • Lord Elgin - In addition to being the Chief of the Name of Bruce, he is the Convenor of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs, retired Brigadier General in the Scots Guard Reserve, and is a Knight of the Thistle. He is a former Grand Master Mason of Scotland (the Grand Master as styled in Scotland) and has been head of the Royal Arch Chapter in Scotland for many years. Additionally he is the worldwide head of the Royal Order of Scotland.
  • Mark Lemon - English founder and Editor of Punch Magazine.
  • Capt. Matthew Webb - First man to swim the English Channel (1875).
  • Mikhail Kutuzov - Russian field marshal who distinguished himself in the wars against Turkey (1770-1774 and 1787-1791) and commanded (1805-1812) the Russian opposition to Napoleon.
  • Dr. Parker Paul McKenzie - A Kiowa Indian, he created an alphabet and recorded the words, grammar and syntax to provide a written language for Kiowa. At the time of his death in 1999, he was the oldest living Kiowa.
  • "Sugar Ray" Robinson - American prize-fighter and six time world champion (once as a welterweight and five times as a middleweight).
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