This is a list of notable Tennessee Freemasons. It includes Freemasons who were at some point members under the jurisdiction the Grand Lodge of Tennessee.

Politicians

Joseph Anderson Joseph Inslee Anderson (November 5, 1757 – April 17, 1837) was an American soldier, judge, and politician, who served as a United States Senator from Tennessee from 1797 to 1815, and later as the First Comptroller of the United States Treasur ...

- U.S. Senator (1799-1815); first Comptroller of U.S. Treasury. * John Bell - U.S. Senator (1847-1859); U.S. Secretary of War; Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Member of King Solomon Lodge #6. * George W. Campbell - U.S. Minister to Russia; U.S. Senator (1811-1819); Secretary of the Treasury. Member of Tennessee Lodge #2. * Edward W. Carmack - U.S. Senator (1901-1907); U.S. Representative (1897-1901). Member of Memphis Lodge #118. * Henry Cooper - U.S. Senator (1871-1877); Tennessee Representative. Member of Shelbyville Lodge #122.* *

Jenkin Whiteside Jenkin Whiteside (1772September 25, 1822) was an attorney who served as a United States Senator from Tennessee. Biography Jenkin Whiteside was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. His father, Thomas Whiteside (1742–1823), was born in County Tyro ...

- U.S. Senator (1809-1813). Member of Greeneville Lodge #3. *

Ephraim H. Foster Ephraim Hubbard Foster (September 17, 1794September 6, 1854) was an American politician, who twice served as a United States Senator from Tennessee. During his political career, he was a member of the Whig Party. Biography Foster was born nea ...

- U.S. Senator (1838-1839, 1843–1845); Tennessee Representative. Member of Nashville Lodge #37. * Albert Gore Sr. - U.S. Senator (1953-1971); U.S. Representative (1939-1953). Member of Carthage Benevolent Lodge #14. *

Felix Grundy Felix Grundy (September 11, 1777 – December 19, 1840) was an American politician who served as a congressman and senator from Tennessee as well as the 13th attorney General of the United States. Biography Early life Born in Berkeley Cou ...

- U.S. Attorney General (1838-1839); U.S. Senator (1839-1840); U.S. Representative; Chief Justice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals. Member of Hiram Lodge #7. * Estes Kefauver - U.S. Senator (1949-1963); U.S. Representative (1939-1949). Member of Chattanooga Lodge #199. * Kenneth McKellar - U.S. Senator (1917-1953), U.S. Representative (1911-1917). Member of Leila Scott Lodge #289. * Alfred O. P. Nicholson - U.S. Senator (1840-1842); Tennessee Senator; Tennessee Representative. Member of Columbia Lodge #31. * James D. Richardson - U.S. Representative (1885-1905); House Minority Leader (1899-1903). Initiated in Mt. Moriah Lodge #18; Holy Royal Arch Degrees Pythagoras Chapter #23; Grand High Priest (Holy Royal Arch) in 1873; Grand Master of Tennessee in 1883; Grand Commander of the Supreme Council of Scottish Rite Southern Jurisdiction 1900–1914. * John K. Shields - U.S. Senator (1913-1925). Member of Rising Star Lodge #44. * Tom Stewart - U.S. Senator (1938-1949). Member of Winchester Lodge #158. * Hopkins L. Turney - U.S. Senator (1845-1851); U.S. Representative; Tennessee Representative. Member of Olive Branch Lodge #53. *

Lawrence Tyson Lawrence Davis Tyson (July 4, 1861August 24, 1929) was an American general, politician and textile manufacturer, operating primarily out of Knoxville, Tennessee, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As s btigadier general, he commanded ...

- U.S. Senator (1925-1929); Tennessee Representative (1903-1905). Member of Knoxville Lodge #718. * Washington C. Whitthorne - U.S. Senator (1886-1887); U.S. Representative; Tennessee Representative; Tennessee Senator. Member of Columbia Lodge #31. * John Williams - U.S. Senator (1815-1823). Member of Overton Lodge #5. * Jo Byrns - Speaker of the United States House of Representatives (1935). Past Master of West Nashville Phoenix Lodge #131 (1906, 1907).

United States Presidents

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

- 7th

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

. Likely initiated in St. Tammany Lodge #1 between 1788 and 1800; Royal Arch Mason, likely receiving the degrees in lodge, but was never a member of a Chapter; Grand Master of Tennessee in 1822, 1823. Andrew Jackson is the only Grand Master of Tennessee who had never served as a Worshipful Master or Warden of a lodge. * Andrew Johnson - 17th

. Initiated in Greeneville Lodge #119 in 1851;

Knight Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

; received the

Scottish Rite The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry (the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction in the United States often omits the ''and'', while the English Constitution in the United Kingdom omits the ''Scottish''), commonly known as simply the S ...

Degrees in the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

on June 20, 1867. *

James K. Polk James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (183 ...

- 11th

; 9th Governor of Tennessee. Initiated in Columbia Lodge #31 on September 4, 1820; received

Holy Royal Arch The Royal Arch is a degree of Freemasonry. The Royal Arch is present in all main masonic systems, though in some it is worked as part of Craft ('mainstream') Freemasonry, and in others in an appendant ('additional') order. Royal Arch Masons meet ...

Degrees in Cumberland Chapter #1 and LaFayette Chapter #4 in 1825.

Governors

* William B. Bate - 23rd Governor of Tennessee. Member of King Solomon Lodge #94. *

Ray Blanton Leonard Ray Blanton (April 10, 1930 – November 22, 1996)Fred Rolater"Leonard Ray Blanton" ''Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture'', 2009. Retrieved: December 31, 2012. * Aaron V. Brown - 11th Governor of Tennessee. Member of LaFayette Lodge #51. * John C. Brown - 19th Governor of Tennessee. Grand Master of Tennessee in 1870; member of Pulaski Lodge #101. *

Gordon Browning Gordon Weaver Browning (November 22, 1889May 23, 1976) was an American politician who served as the 38th governor of Tennessee from 1937 to 1939, and again from 1949 to 1953. He also served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, from 19 ...

- 38th Governor of Tennessee. Member of Huntington Lodge #106. *

John P. Buchanan John Price Buchanan (October 24, 1847May 14, 1930) was an American politician and farmers' advocate. He served as the 25th governor of Tennessee from 1891 to 1893, and was president of the Tennessee Farmers' Alliance and Laborers' Union in the ...

- 25th Governor of Tennessee. Member of Mt. Moriah Lodge #18. * William B. Campbell - 14th Governor of Tennessee. Member of Lebanon Lodge #98. *

Newton Cannon Newton Cannon (May 22, 1781 – September 16, 1841) was an American politician who served as the eighth Governor of Tennessee from 1835 to 1839. He also served several terms in the United States House of Representatives, from 1814 to 1817, and f ...

- 8th Governor of Tennessee. Member of Hiram Lodge #7. * Frank Clement - 41st Governor of Tennessee. Member of Dickson Lodge #468. *

Winfield Dunn Bryant Winfield Culberson Dunn (born July 1, 1927) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 43rd governor of Tennessee from 1971 to 1975. He was the state's first Republican governor in fifty years.Phillip Langsdon, ''Tennesse ...

- 43rd Governor of Tennessee. Member of Corinthian Lodge #414. *

John Eaton John Eaton may refer to: * John Eaton (divine) (born 1575), English divine * John Eaton (pirate) (fl. 1683–1686), English buccaneer *Sir John Craig Eaton (1876–1922), Canadian businessman * John Craig Eaton II (born 1937), Canadian businessman ...

- 1st Governor of Florida Territory; U.S. Minister to Spain; Secretary of War; U.S. Senator. Member of Cumberland Lodge #8. *

Buford Ellington Earl Buford Ellington (June 27, 1907 – April 3, 1972) was an American politician who served as the 42nd governor of Tennessee from 1959 to 1963, and again from 1967 to 1971. Along with his political ally, Frank G. Clement, he helped lead a ...

- 42nd Governor of Tennessee. Member of Dillahunty Lodge #112. *

James B. Frazier James Beriah Frazier (October 18, 1856 – March 28, 1937) was an American politician who served as the 28th governor of Tennessee from 1903 to 1905, and subsequently as a United States senator from Tennessee from 1905 to 1911. As governor, ...

- 28th Governor of Tennessee. Member of Chattanooga Lodge #199. * William Hall - 7th Governor of Tennessee. Member of King Solomon Lodge #6. * Isham G. Harris - 16th Governor of Tennessee. Member of Paris Lodge #108; elected Grand Orator of the Grand Lodge in 1851 (but was unable to serve that term) and 1868. * Sam Houston - 6th Governor of Tennessee; 1st and 3rd

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

of the Republic of Texas; 7th Governor of Texas. Initiated in 1817 in Cumberland Lodge # 8 in Nashville. Knighted in Washington Commandery #1 in Washington, D.C., on February 3, 1853. *

Jim Nance McCord Jim Nance McCord (March 17, 1879 – September 2, 1968) was an American journalist and politician who served as the 40th governor of Tennessee from 1945 to 1949, and was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1943 to 1945. He was ...

- 40th Governor of Tennessee. Member of Dillahunty Lodge #112. *

Ned McWherter Ned Ray McWherter (October 15, 1930April 4, 2011) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 46th Governor of Tennessee, from 1987 to 1995. Prior to that, he served as Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives from 19 ...

- 46th Governor of Tennessee. Member of Dresden Lodge #90. * James D. Porter - 20th Governor of Tennessee. Member of Paris Lodge #108. *

Archibald Roane Archibald Roane (1759/60 – January 18, 1819) was the second Governor of Tennessee, serving from 1801 to 1803. He won the office after the state's first governor, John Sevier, was prevented by constitutional restrictions from seeking a fourth ...

- 2nd Governor of Tennessee. Member of Tennessee Lodge #2. * Albert H. Roberts - 33rd Governor of Tennessee. Member of Livingston Lodge #259. *

Dewitt Clinton Senter Dewitt Clinton Senter (March 26, 1830June 14, 1898) was an American politician who served as the 18th Governor of Tennessee from 1869 to 1871. He had previously served in the Tennessee House of Representatives (1855–1861), where he oppose ...

- 18th Governor of Tennessee. Lodge membership unknown. *

John Sevier John Sevier (September 23, 1745 September 24, 1815) was an American soldier, frontiersman, and politician, and one of the founding fathers of the State of Tennessee. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, he played a leading role in Tennes ...

- 1st Governor of Tennessee. First Worshipful Master of Tennessee Lodge #2 in Knoxville. * Alfred A. Taylor - 34th Governor of Tennessee; U.S. Representative. Member of Johnson City Lodge #486. *

Robert Love Taylor Robert Love "Bob" Taylor (July 31, 1850March 31, 1912) was an American politician, writer, and lecturer. A member of the Democratic Party, he served three terms as the 24th governor of Tennessee, from 1887 to 1891, and again from 1897 to 1899, a ...

- 24th Governor of Tennessee. Member of Dashiell Lodge #238 at

Elizabethton, Tennessee Elizabethton is a city in, and the county seat of Carter County, Tennessee, United States. Elizabethton is the historical site of the first independent American government (known as the Watauga Association, created in 1772) located west of both t ...

. *

Peter Turney Peter Turney (September 22, 1827October 19, 1903) was an American politician, soldier, and jurist, who served as the 26th governor of Tennessee from 1893 to 1897. He was also a justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court from 1870 to 1893, and served ...

- 26th Governor of Tennessee. Member of Winchester Lodge #158. *

Archibald Yell Archibald Yell (August 9, 1797 – February 23, 1847) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the U.S. representative from Arkansas from 1836 to 1839, and 1845 to 1846. He was the second governor of Arkansas, serving from 1840 to 18 ...

- 2nd Governor of Arkansas. Likely initiated in Warren Lodge #19 in

Fayetteville, Tennessee Fayetteville is a city and the county seat of Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 6,994 at the 2000 census, and 6,827 at the 2010 census. A census estimate from 2018 showed 7,017. History Fayetteville is the largest cit ...

; Worshipful Master of Shelbyville Lodge #49 in 1824; received

Degrees in Cumberland Chapter #1 in 1824; Grand Master of Tennessee in 1832; founded first Masonic lodge in Arkansas in 1837.

Jurists

John Overton John Overton may refer to: People * John Overton (printseller) (1640–1713), seller of prints and maps who succeeded Peter Stent *John Overton (priest) (1763–1838), English clergyman * John Overton (judge) (1766–1833), judge at the Superior Co ...

- Judge of the Superior Court of Tennessee. Member of St. Tammany Lodge #1; Worshipful Master of Cumberland Lodge #8; received

Degrees Cumberland Chapter #4 on February 14, 1823. * Robert L. Caruthers - Justice of the

Tennessee Supreme Court The Tennessee Supreme Court is the ultimate judicial tribunal of the state of Tennessee. Roger A. Page is the Chief Justice. Unlike other states, in which the state attorney general is directly elected or appointed by the governor or state leg ...

. Grand Master of Tennessee in 1849. * John C. Crawford - Justice of the Blount County Court. Knight Templar and 32nd Degree Mason.

Frontiersmen

* James Robertson - A founding father of Tennessee. May have been initiated in 1787 in North Carolina; member of St. Tammany Lodge #1. * Davy Crockett - Frontiersmen and folk hero; U.S. Representative (1827-1831; 1833–1835).

Military

* Nathan Bedford Forrest - Confederate Army General. Initiated in Angenora Lodge #168, but never advanced past the Entered Apprentice degree.
digital document by phoenixmasonry: vol. 1

References

{{reflist Freemasonry in Tennessee Lists of Freemasons Freemasonry