President William H. Taft Visits a Masonic Lodge in 1912

Cover Photo: William Howard Taft at Alexandria Lodge, 1911. Jameson Studio, Alexandria, Virginia. AlexandriaWashington Lodge No. 22, A.F. & A.M., Alexandria, Virginia.

by Jeffrey Croteau, Director Van Gorden-Williams Library and Archives

The Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library’s Van Gorden-Williams Library & Archives recently acquired two letters written by U.S. President William Howard Taft (1857-1930) in 1912. Taft addressed both letters to John H. Harris, Master of Liberty Lodge in Beverly, Massachusetts.

Taft served as 27th President of the United States from 1909 until 1913 and was one of only 14 presidents who were Masons. Seeking relief from the heat and humidity in Washington, D.C., Taft spent his summers as president in Beverly, Massachusetts. During the summer of 1912, Taft was invited to come to Liberty Lodge in Beverly. These letters document some of the correspondence between Taft and Harris regarding that visit.

Freemasonry was a tradition in Taft’s family. His father, Alphonso Taft, was a prominent member of Kilwinning Lodge No. 356 in Cincinnati. Two of Taft’s brothers were raised Masons at the lodge with their father in attendance. But President Taft didn't become a Mason in the traditional way, as his father and brothers did. Instead, he was “made a Mason at sight.”

On February 18, 1909, the Grand Master of Ohio, Charles S. Hoskinson, convened an Occasional Lodge at the Scottish Rite Cathedral in Cincinnati for the purpose of making the President-elect a Mason at sight, a few weeks before Taft’s inauguration on March 4, 1909. Fourteen Grand Masters of other jurisdictions were there along with many other Masonic dignitaries. Because making a Mason at sight was (and is) a relatively rare event, and because it was being done for a man who was soon to be sworn in as President of the United States, the ceremony was, understandably, a remarkable gathering. The New York Times reported that there were 800 people in the hall; 2,000 were turned away. Taft affiliated with Kilwinning Lodge No. 356, the lodge that his family members belonged to.

Taft sent these two letters three years after becoming a Mason. He wrote them near the end of his presidency; one is dated July 4, 1912, and the other, October 2, 1912. In the July letter, Taft asks Harris to express his thanks to the members of the lodge. He also penned a note at the bottom, which reads, “I shall be glad to visit Liberty Lodge in September or October if I am in Beverly and thank you for the invitation.” Taft did go to Liberty Lodge on September 30, 1912. Four hundred and thirty members and guests came, among them Everett C. Benton, the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. Two days later, Taft wrote a letter to Harris thanking him for his October 1st letter and for extending the invitation. Grand Master Benton, in describing Taft’s speech at Liberty Lodge, observed that “the short address given by the President not only breathed true Masonic spirit, but his presence showed that our claim that true Masons meet upon the level is not an idle boast.”

These letters are on view in the reading room of the Van GordenWilliams Library & Archives through September 1, 2023.

Have questions? Drop us a line at library@srmml.org or give us a call at 781-457-4109.

Two Letters from President William Howard Taft to Liberty Lodge, 1912. Beverly, Massachusetts. Museum Purchase, MA 640.005