Evening star., 1945-05-20
Master Masons in the White House

XXX~N l. AOuON
city where Mr. Harding lived SO MANY
years and conducted and edited a rival
political newspaper-the Marion Star.
Harding as Mason
One would naturally not expect, under
such circumstances, eulogy from Mr..
Fletcher, but no one could have deliv-
cred better one, and he went out of
his way to do so. He spoke of Mr.. Hard
ing's many noble traits and how he was
loved and respected by the people of
Marion; really he omitted nothing that
was laudable and praiseworthy, and the
tribute paid to this worthy citizen
brought tears to the eyes of many who
will never forget the speech made upon
this occasion by Brooks Fletcher, Presi-
dent Harding's Democratic fellow
townsman.
Mr.. Harding was raised in Marion
Lodge, No. 7, at Marion, Ohio, on Au-
gust T. 1920, while he was representing
that State in the United States Senate.
He became a Knight Templar there on
March l, 1921, and was given the 32d
degree of the Ancient and Accepted
Scottish Rite in Scioto Consistory, jan
uary S, 1921.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
The next President to occupy the
White House was the late Franklin
Delano Roosevelt. His Masonry dates
back some years, for when he was AS
sistant Secretary of the Navy, in 1919,
he participated as a member Of the
fraternity in the laying of the corner
stone of Stansbury Lodge Building in
Brightwood, and delivered an address
upon that occasion, for which Lodge
No. "a made him an honorary member.
1t was a great occasion for old Stans-
bury and its members, and many pleas
ant memories of the event of November
81, 1919, still remains with them, but
none more pleasant than the fact that
the President-to-be graced the occasion
with his presence and participated in
the exercises of the day.
Mr.. Roosevelt congratulated the mem
bers of the lodge for the progressivism
they had shown and assured those pres
ent that he was looking forward with
pleasure to the completion of the build
ing, when he would avail himself of
the first opportunity of making a call.
1T has gotten so now that no Ma
sonic Temple can be erected unless there
is some member of the Roosevelt clan
present at the laying of the corner
ston," said the Assistant Secretary OF
the Navy, land am proud to say that
no family in the country as a whole is
more closely identified with Masonry
than the Roosevelt family"
Among the distinguished guests pres
ent upon this occasion was the Gen.
eral of the Army, John j. Pershing, now
residing at Walter Reed General Hos
pital, and he lent levity to the occasion
when he said to the future President:
"Mr Secretary, from the way you han
died that trowel think you could do
better at bricklaying than helping to
run the Navy"
To which Mr. Roosevelt replied:
There is no doubt about that, General
I am sure l could make much more
money, at least"
President Truman
When President Truman came to the
United States Senate in 1885 he was
grand junior steward of the Grand
Lodge of Missouri, and subsequently he
progressed through the line until he
became the grand master of Masons of
that State. When he first came to Con-
gress he visited Federal Lodge, No. /,
FAAM, at the time Bingham w. Ma
thias was the worshipful master, and
probably visited other Masonic bodies
here as well. He and President Andrew
Jackson are the only Presidents who
served their respective States as grand
master.
President jackson was frequent Wis
itor to "Old Federal" together with
his colleague in the Senate and his COM
panion in arm, Gen. John M. Eaton,
who married the famous Peggy"
O'Neale, conducted here the Franklin
House, where both Jackson and Eaton
boarded privately. William O'Neale was
an early member of Federal Lodge and
served as worshipful master in 1877 his
predecessors in that Office being James
Hoban, Clot Worthy Stephenson, Alex
ander Mccormick, Nicholas King, Rob-
ert Elliott, ST.; Nicholas L. Queen and
James Young, all prominent of their day.
In 1880 both President jackson and Sec
retary Eaton were made honorary
members of Federal Lodge.
Could not this tie of brotherhood have
prompted Gen. Jackson to become
boarder at william O'Neale's? Would
not this reason also have prompted
Gen. Eaton to have also made his home
with this family? Quite likely; and it
is also more than likely the reason
why Mr.. Eaton came to O'Neales finan-
cial assistance when he was in difacul-
ties, and later married his daughter
Mrs. Timberlake, the former Miss
ONeale. And so, perhaps after all, the
friendship which existed between Eaton
and the. noted Peggy" was an honor
able one; ut least we must admit 1t
terminated 20.