Author Chris Hodapp notes that
the provisions in Washington’s will
were remarkable for a man of this
period. In addition to freeing his
slaves, Washington designated pieces
of property for family, friends, and
servants. He also left money to start
a “free school” for orphans, and he
bequeathed funds to help establish
his namesake university.
PRUDENCE
AND FORTITUDE
As a tobacco farmer, young
Washington learned the virtues of
prudence and fortitude, assessing
obstacles and overcoming adversity.
In fact, Tabbert explains, by the
time of the Revolution, Washington
had become one of the few solvent
planters in Virginia, due to his wise
diversification of crops, breeding of
new livestock, and development of
new industries at Mount Vernon.
At war, he again drew on these
virtues as he prepared the Continental
Army for battles and, ultimately,
helped soldiers maintain their courage
and win the War for Independence. As
the first president of the United States,
likewise, Washington understood
that his actions in the present would
determine the nation’s happiness in
the future.
A JUST AND
UPRIGHT MASON
Add it up, and Washington’s
achievements – indeed, his
very way of life – reflect his
character, a character that was
influenced by the craft. While
some question Washington’s
active participation in lodge
meetings and other Masonic
activities, history shows that
Washington took care to
learn and understand the
“Washington was a great Freemason
because he lived the principles of
Freemasonry,” Tabbert says. “He
exemplified more than any other man
who’s ever lived, in my opinion, what a
Freemason ought to be. He was a little
busy being the father of the country to
necessarily attend lodge.”
Throughout his adult life,
Washington was surrounded by
Freemasonry. Many of his friends
and officers were Freemasons,
including General Marquis de La
Fayette and, of course, fellow founding
fathers Benjamin Franklin and John
Hancock. In letters to his Masonic
brothers, Washington demonstrated
an admiration for the fraternity. In
a 1797 letter to the Grand Lodge
of Massachusetts, for example,
Washington wrote, “My attachment to
the society of which we are members
will dispose me always to contribute
my best endeavors to promote the
honor and prosperity of the craft.”
Today, it’s no wonder many Masons
see Washington as the epitome of a
“just and upright Mason,” one whose
life’s fabric is threaded with virtue, one
who always squared his actions.
Timeline of
George Washington’s
Masonic activities
1752. Washington, 20, joined
Fredericksburg Lodge in Virginia. The Bible
he took his obligations on is still in the
possession of the lodge.
1753. Washington was raised to
Master Mason.
1775-1785. Throughout the American
Revolutionary War and after independence
was secured, Washington supported
the military lodges that formed in army
regiments, and he participated in various
Masonic activities, including celebrations
of the feast of St. John and charitable
events to raise money for the poor.
1777. The Convention of Virginia Lodges
nominated Washington as grand master of
the commonwealth. He declined.
1780. Lodges suggested the establishment
of a Grand Lodge of the U.S. to be helmed
by Washington as grand master. The idea
for such a national body was later dropped.
1788. Washington was named charter
master of a new lodge in Alexandria, Va.,
upon issue of a new charter from the
Grand Lodge of Virginia. That lodge is now
known as Alexandria-Washington Lodge
No. 22.
1789. Washington was inaugurated as
president of the U.S., using the Bible from
St. John’s Lodge No. 1 in New York, N. Y.
1793. Washington laid the cornerstone for
the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
1794. Washington sat in Masonic regalia for
a portraitist, at the request of Alexandria
Lodge.
1799. Washington was buried at Mount
Vernon with Masonic rites. Five of the six
pallbearers were Freemasons.
