geekyFreemasonry was exported to the British Colonies in North America in the 1730s. The earliest known American lodges were in Pennsylvania. In December 1730, Benjamin Franklin’s Gazette stated that “there were several Lodges of Freemasons erected in this Province.” After the American Revolution, independent U.S. Grand Lodges formed themselves within each state. According to the Masonic Library and Museum of Pennsylvania, fourteen presidents were FreeMasons. They were: George Washington, James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, James Polk, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, James Garfield, William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Warren Harding, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Gerald Ford.
As president, George Washington approved the use of Masonic symbols in the Great Seal of the United States. (You can still see them on the one-dollar bill). These include the All-Seeing Eye above an unfinished pyramid. The scroll beneath proclaims the advent of a “New Secular Order, ” which is one of Freemasonry’s longstanding goals.
According to the Masonic Library and Museum, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were once also included in this gallery of Masonic Presidents, but since their membership cannot be established as a certainty, their inclusion was based more on speculation than fact. Until their membership can be absolutely proven, the museum takes the position that they should not be considered "Masonic Presidents."
Lyndon B. Johnson was initiated on October 30, 1937 in Johnson City Masonic Lodge No. 561, at Johnson City, Texas, but completed only the Entered Apprentice, or first, of the three Masonic degrees. Apparently this does not entitle him to inclusion in the gallery.
In the early 19th century, there were some who believed that the Masons were an unhealthy political force. In 1828 the Anti-Masonic Party was formed in upstate New York. The founders of the Anti-masons believed that Freemasons were a powerful secret society that was trying to rule the country in defiance of the republican principles. These opponents came together to form a political party after an event known as "the Morgan affair" convinced them the Masons were murdering men who spoke out. This key episode was the mysterious disappearance, in 1826, of William Morgan, a Freemason of Batavia, New York, who had become dissatisfied with his lodge and intended to publish a book detailing the secrets of the Freemasons. When his intentions became known to the lodge, an attempt was made to burn down the publishing house. In September 1826 Morgan was seized and disappeared.
The event led many to believe that Freemasonry was in conflict with the public peace. Because judges, businessmen, bankers, and politicians were often Masons, the Anti-Masons began to think of it as an elitist group. When the trial of the Morgan conspirators was mishandled, many New Yorkers concluded that Masons "controlled key offices and used their official authority to promote the goals of the fraternity. The Anti-Masons argued that for good government to be restored, all Masons must be purged from public office.
In New York a faction supporting President John Quincy Adams, called "Adams men," tried to build upon the strong anti-Masonic feeling in creating opposition to the rising support for Andrew Jackson, a high-ranking Mason who frequently spoke in praise of the Order.
The Anti-Masons had limited success politically, but it did include in its membership one man who would become president in 1850, Millard Fillmore.
I'm not sure what all of this means, but I'm sure there's a Nicholas Cage movie in there somewhere.