The North Carolina Mason

Page 14 The North Carolina Mason May/June 2018 From the Courier's Case By Steven Campbell Masonic Historian For 46 of his 67 years of life, George Washington served as a protector of his fellow countrymen and the tenets of the Freemason Fraternity. George Washington (named in honor of his mother's guardian, George Ewing) was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia, in 1732. He was the eldest child of a second marriage. His father died when George was 11. He inherited Ferry Farm along the Rappahannock River. His education consisted of tutoring, homeschooling and experience; finances prevented him from attending university. At 16, his half-brother Lawrence obtained for him an ensign's commission in the British Navy, which his mother quashed. Mature beyond his years, George began on-the-job training as a surveyor and at age 17 was appointed Culpeper County, Va.'s first Royal Surveyor. His career exposed him to Virginia's gentry class, which enabled him to accrue both money and land. At 19, George accompanied Lawrence, stricken with tuber- culosis, to Barbados – the only time George would leave North America. While there, he contracted and survived smallpox. Within months of their return, Lawrence would die and George would lease Mount Vernon from Lawrence's widow, Ann Fairfax Washington. George inherited the estate in 1761. At 21, Wash- ington obtained a Major's commis- sion in Virginia's Royal Militia. He had no mili- tary training but readily acclimated to the life. His role in initiating hostile armed action against French troops catapulted Great Britain and France into the French and Indian War. On July 4, 1754, Col. George Washington would surrender troops under his command (to the French) for the only time in his life. Washington then turned his attention to personal bliss, and in January 1759, wed Virginia's wealthiest widow, Martha Dandridge Custis. eir 40-year marriage and his adoption of her two children, Jackie and Patsy, proved an ideal match. As tension grew between the American Colonies and Great Britain, George's role expanded from a member of Virginia's House of Burgesses to the Continental Congress to America's first Commander- in-Chief (1775-1783). During the eight- year War of American Independence, he would only return home once. Independence won Without a Constitution, the fate of the new nation hung in the balance. Under the leadership of Citizen George Washington, the Constitution was written and adopted, and in 1789, he became the first President of the United States. Personal loss, health issues and life in general took a toll on George and Martha, and when his second term ended in 1797, George retired to his estate, where he would die two years later. He was laid to rest along the banks of the Potomac River at Mount Vernon, where Martha would once again join her "old man" less than three years later. Many legends circulate about the Masonic activities of George Wash- ington. Information in this article is part of a program available for Masonic Lodges. Contact Steven Campbell. 1752 Nov. 4 Fredericksburg #4, initiated as Entered Apprentice. 1753 March 3 Fredericksburg #4, passed to Fellow Craft. 1753 Aug. 4 Fredericksburg #4, raised to Master Mason. 1778 Dec. 28 St. John the Evangelist Celebration, marched in Masonic procession. 1779 June 24 St. John the Baptist Celebration, marched with American Union Military Lodge at West Point, NY. 1779 Dec. 20 Proposed by the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania as General Grand Master of the United States; Never enacted. 1779 Dec. 27 St. John the Baptist Evangelist Celebration, marked with American Union Military Lodge at Morristown, NJ. 1782 Brothers Watson and Cassoul of Nantes, France, present Washington with silk Masonic Apron. 1782 June 24 St. John the Baptist Celebration, marked with American Union Military Lodge at West Point, NY. 1782 Dec. 27 St. John the Evangelist Celebration, marked with Solomon #1, Poughkeepsie, NY. 1784 June 24 St. John the Baptist Celebration, marked with Alexandria #39, Alexandria, Va. (Now Alexandria-Washington #22.) 1784 June 24 Made honorary member Alexandria #39. 1784 August Presented with Masonic Apron by General and Brother LaFayette. Photo from Mount Vernon Collection 1785 Feb. 12 Walked in Masonic Funeral Procession for Brother William Ramsey, Alexandria, Va. 1788 April 28 Named Charter Master of Alexandria #22 under Charter of the Grand Lodge of Virginia. 1788 Dec. 20 Unanimously re-elected Master of Alexandria #22. 1789 Elected an Honorary Member of Holland #8, New York, NY. 1789 April 30 Inaugurated President of the United States using a Bible from St. John's #1, New York, NY. 1791 April 15 Received by St. John's #2, New Bern, NC. 1791 May Received the greetings of the Grand Lodge of South Caro- lina from Grand Master Gen. Mordecai Gist, Charleston, SC. 1793 Sept. 18 Acting as Grand Master of Maryland, laid the cornerstone of the United States Capitol, District of Columbia 1794 Sat for William Williams Portrait 1797 March 28 Received a Masonic delegation from Alexandria #22. 1798 April 1 Attended Alexandria #22 and proposed a toast at banquet. 1799 Dec. 18 Buried at Mount Vernon with Masonic Rites conducted by Alexandria #22. George Washington: Patriot and Mason This is a list from the George Washington National Masonic Memorial of documentable Masonic occurrences within Washington's lifetime. He owned at least two Masonic Aprons, three Masonic Constitutions and a Masonic Jewel.

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