Brother George Washington was born on the 22nd of February 1732 and died on the 14th of December 1799. In between he lived life to the full.
He joined the Masonic Lodge No 4 in Fredericksburg, Virginia, at the age of 20 in 1752. This was a Lodge constituted by the Grand Lodge of Scotland, although for the early part of its existence it worked without a warrant.
This Lodge is still in existence today.
During the War for Independence, General Washington attended Masonic celebrations and religious observances in several states. He also supported Masonic lodges that formed within army regiments.
There was a strong military tradition within the Craft at that time because Freemasonry in Colonial American had stemmed from those earlier military travelling regiments within the British Army.
At his first inauguration, in 1791, President Washington took his oath of office on a Bible from St. John’s Lodge in New York. During his two terms as President, he visited Masons in North and South Carolina, and presided over the cornerstone-laying ceremony for the U.S. Capitol in 1793.
In retirement, Washington became charter Master of the newly chartered Alexandria Lodge № 22, sat for a portrait in his Masonic regalia, and in death, was buried with Masonic honours.
