Franklin Delano Roosevelt received his Masonic degrees in 1911 in New York City, while serving in the state senate. During his later years in the White House, he confided his admiration for the 33rd Degree. FDR was a member of the Northern Jurisdiction, where Grand Commander Cowles’ counterpart, Melvin Johnson, encountered resistance from two members of his Supreme Council who considered FDR a traitor to his class and opposed giving him the 33rd Degree. So Johnson proposed to Cowles that in the interest of Masonic harmony the degree be granted instead in Washington, by Cowles, under special dispensation. In a “personal and confidential” letter of October 6, 1943, Grand Commander Cowles replied that he was “very fond of a goodly number” of the members of the Supreme Council, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, and that he had always “tried and will continue to try to keep the best fraternal feelings…” For these reasons, he declined Johnson’s proposal. Several months later, FDR died without ever receiving the 33rd Degree.
Posted on: Sun, 23 Nov 2014 05:10:00 +0000
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