Bro. Kaiser Wilhelm I Wilhelm I (22 March 1797 – 9 March 1888) of the House of Hohenzollern was King of Prussia from 2 January 1861 and the first German Emperor from 18 January 1871 to his death, the first Head of State of a united Germany. Under the leadership of William and his Minister President Otto von Bismarck, Prussia achieved the unification of Germany and the establishment of the German Empire.
Despite his long support of Bismarck as Minister President, William held strong reservations about some of Bismarck's more reactionary policies, including his anti-Catholicism although he was against allowing Jews into Prussian lodges. From 1867 to 1918 more than 1,000 memorials to William I were constructed.
The cutting below from The Freemason detailed his connection to the Craft is dated 24th March, 1888.
Cross Keys April 2018