Elias Ashmole, painted by John Riley in about 1681–1682. Ashmolean Museum, Oxford.
This is a selection of notable people whose Masonic membership is documented in the sources cited below. It is not a complete membership list. Lodge names and dates are given where the cited source identifies them; membership at one date does not imply lifelong activity.
| Person |
Known for |
Documented Masonic connection
|
| Elias Ashmole |
Antiquary and collector |
Recorded becoming a Freemason at Warrington on 16 October 1646 and attending a London meeting in 1682.[1]
|
| Robert Moray |
Soldier, courtier and founding Fellow of the Royal Society |
Admitted by members of the Lodge of Edinburgh meeting at Newcastle in 1641.[2]
|
| John Theophilus Desaguliers |
Clergyman and lecturer in experimental philosophy |
Grand Master of the Premier Grand Lodge of England in 1719.[3]
|
| George Washington |
First president of the United States |
Joined the lodge at Fredericksburg, Virginia, on 4 November 1752. The lodge was later numbered No. 4.[4]
|
| Benjamin Franklin |
Printer, scientist and statesman |
Joined St. John's Lodge in Philadelphia in 1731 and became Grand Master in 1734.[5]
|
| Paul Revere |
Silversmith and participant in the American Revolution |
Joined St. Andrew's Lodge, Boston, in 1760; later served as Grand Master of Massachusetts.[6]
|
| Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart |
Composer |
Joined the Vienna lodge Zur Wohltätigkeit on 14 December 1784.[7]
|
| Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens) |
Novelist and humourist |
Initiated in Polar Star Lodge No. 79, Missouri, on 22 May 1861; demitted in 1869.[8]
|
| Arthur Conan Doyle |
Physician and author of the Sherlock Holmes stories |
Initiated in Phoenix Lodge No. 257, Portsmouth, in 1887. Resigned in 1889, rejoined in 1902 and remained until 1911.[9]
|
| Winston Churchill |
British prime minister |
Initiated in Studholme Lodge No. 1591 on 24 May 1901; the lodge is now called United Studholme Alliance Lodge.[10]
|
| J. Edgar Hoover |
Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation |
Became a Master Mason in Federal Lodge No. 1, Washington, D.C., on 9 November 1920.[11]
|
Researching membership
Evidence for membership can include lodge minutes, membership registers, correspondence and contemporary certificates. Masonic museums and libraries describes collections and research tools that can help identify these records. When adding a person, cite the evidence for their membership separately from their occupation or public achievements.
References
- ↑ Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon, Elias Ashmole. Accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary's Chapel) No. 1, The admission of Speculative Freemasons. Accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ Royal Society, Desaguliers; John Theophilus (1683–1744), Fellows catalogue, reference NA8419. Accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ George Washington's Mount Vernon, Freemasonry, Digital Encyclopedia of George Washington. Accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, Liberty Tree Plantings, section on Franklin. Accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ Grand Lodge of Ohio, Most Worshipful Brother Paul Revere, 20 April 2023. Accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ International Mozarteum Foundation, KV 483: Zur Eröffnung der Loge, Köchel Verzeichnis, historical commentary. Accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon, Mark Twain. Accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ United Grand Lodge of England, Arthur Conan Doyle. Accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ United Grand Lodge of England, Winston Churchill. Accessed 24 September 2026.
- ↑ Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon, J. Edgar Hoover. Accessed 24 September 2026.
