Grand Lodge of New York

Grand Lodge of New York F. & A.M.

Formation	December 15, 1782 (1782-12-15)
Location	New York City, New York USA
Region	New York
Grand Master	William M. Sardone
Website	www.nymasons.org

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The Grand Lodge of New York (officially, the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York) is the largest and oldest independent organization of Freemasons in the U.S. state of New York.^[1][2] It was at one time the largest grand lodge in the world in terms of membership.^{[citation needed]}

The Grand Lodge is over 230 years old, having been founded December 15, 1782. Grand Lodge of New York acts as the coordinating body for many functions undertaken throughout the state. Its various committees organize blood drives, the New York Masonic Safety Identification Program and various charitable events around New York. The Grand Lodge of New York has jurisdiction over approximately 60,000 Freemasons, organized in more than 800 Lodges, most of them located within New York State.^[3]

History[]

Colonial and federalist eras: 1730–1820[]

It is not known when the first Freemason set foot in the American colony of New York, but the first documented presence dates from the mid-1730s, when Daniel Coxe Jr. (1673–1739), was appointed by the Duke of Norfolk, the Grand Master of the Premier Grand Lodge of England (known to historians as the "Moderns"), to act as a Provincial Grand Master for the provinces of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. As no authenticated records exist of his tenure as Provincial Grand Master, it seems doubtful that he exercised any authority in Masonic endeavors as he died a few years after his appointment. From 1738 to the 1780s, additional Warrants were issued by GLE (Moderns) to Francis Goelet (1738–1753), to George Harrison (1753–1771) and to Sir John Johnson (1771–?). As Johnson was a supporter of the British during the American Revolution, he is believed to have taken his warrant with him when he fled to Canada, thus leaving the Moderns Lodges without a Provincial Grand Master.^[4]

To further complicate matters, by the 1750s, the Antient Grand Lodge of England (known to historians as the "Ancients"), a rival Masonic Grand Lodge, had also created a Provincial Grand Lodge of New York, which subsequently chartered lodges under its own jurisdiction. Additional lodges were chartered in New York by the Grand Lodge of Scotland and the Grand Lodge of Ireland. The Ancients retained their charter throughout the Revolution, however, and it was based upon this charter that an independent Grand Lodge of New York was created in 1781, with Robert R. Livingston as Grand Master. The Grand Lodge of New York was officially organized on December 15, 1782, under the Provincial Grand Warrant dated September 5, 1781, from the “Athol” or Antient Grand Lodge of England. The Grand Lodge declared its independence and assumed its modern title “Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of New York” on June 6, 1787. While the "Athol" Charter descended from the "Ancients", Livingston himself was a member of a "Modern" Lodge. Thus the two rival Grand Lodge traditions, which in England did not unite until 1813, had already merged before that in New York State.

St. John's Lodge No. 1, A.Y.M.[]

St. John's Lodge, chartered in 1757, is the oldest operating Lodge under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of New York.^[5] St. John's Lodge is the custodian of what is now known as the George Washington Inaugural Bible. On April 30, 1789, it was upon this Bible that George Washington took his oath of office as the first President of the United States.^[6]

In 2009, the Lodge formed a registered public charity for the purpose of preserving, maintaining and restoring the George Washington Inaugural Bible. In 2014, the St. John's Lodge No. 1 Foundation, Inc. received recognition as an IRS 501(c)3.^{[citation needed]}

Grand Lodge Building[]

The current Grand Lodge building is located at 23rd Street and 6th Avenue in Manhattan and was built in 1911. Prior to the current building, a Second French Empire Style building served as the headquarters of the Grand Lodge since 1875 and was located on that same site. The 1875 Grand Lodge building was designed by Napoleon LeBrun and the cornerstone was laid in 1870. However, due to the Panic of 1873 it would take a number of years to complete, at the staggering cost of $1.279 million dollars. However, by 1900 the Second Empire style was considered outdated and coupled with rising NYC real estate prices, the 1875 temple was replaced with the current more modern skyscraper.

Community and charity[]

GLoNY has a long history of supporting charitable causes. Among the organizations that are rooted in its charitable endeavors are, the Masonic Medical Research Institute, Acacia Village and Masonic Home in Utica; the Chancellor Robert R. Livingston Library and Museum in New York and Utica; the Masonic Youth Camp at Camp Turk in Woodgate; the DeWint House at Tappan and its many charitable activities of its annual Brotherhood Fund Drive. The Grand Lodge sponsors Child Identification Programs, Drug and Alcohol Awareness programs in schools, and gives thousands of dollars a day to worthy charities around the State.

Religious and Racial Equality[]

In May 2012, at its Grand Lodge Session, Grand Lodge of New York had approved the findings of a Special Committee which has determined that certain Grand Lodges, notably those following the Swedish Rite, restrict their membership to members of the Christian faith. As a consequence of this, the members of the Grand Lodge of New York voted unanimously that non-Christian Masons living in these Grand Jurisdictions will not come under the exclusivity enjoyed by said Grand Lodges. A notice was sent out to all Grand Lodges with which the Grand Lodge of New York is in amity, that the Grand Lodge of New York will recognize as Regular any Lodges opened up in these territories by any other regular Grand Lodge. Furthermore, the committee's tenure was continued for an additional two years in order to determine if further measures need to be taken.^{[citation needed]}

Organization of Triangles Inc.[]

The Organization of Triangles Inc. is a Masonic youth movement for young women aged between 10 and 21 years old. The Organization of Triangles Inc. was founded in 1925 by in the State of New York. For over ninety years, the Triangle has provided the young a vibrant and dynamic group where they can make friends and improve. The triangle form the character, is a service-oriented fraternity that builds a basis for its members to develop their life skills and leadership skills, citizenship, public speaking, the value of teamwork, confidence and self-esteem. Members have opportunities to express their opinions, learn how to make their ideas a reality, helping others around them to form friendships with other members, all in a safe and controlled environment. The founder of the Organization of Triangles Inc. was born on the 18th of November of the year 1883, in the city of New York. Scherer was Great Matron of the Order of the Eastern Star. Scherer conceived the idea of a fraternal group for young daughters of the Order of the Eastern Star and the Masonic fraternity, in order to be a preparation for future membership in the adult organizations, their proposals were accepted under the patronage of the Order of the Eastern Star.^[7][8]

Grand Masters[]

Robert R. Livingstone, a Founding Father of the United States who co-drafted the Declaration of Independence, was an early Grand Master of New York Freemasons.

DeWitt Clinton, a Governor of New York who ran for the American presidency in 1812, was an early Grand Master of New York Freemasons.

Daniel D. Tompkins, Vice President of the United States under James Monroe and Governor of New York, was a Grand Master of New York Freemasons.

Stephen Van Rensselaer III, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives who played a pivotal role in deciding the 1824 presidency in favour of John Quincy Adams, was a Grand Master of New York Freemasons.

The current Grand Master is William Sardone. ^[9]

• 1781-1783 William Walter
• 1783-1784 William Cock
• 1784-1800 Robert R. Livingston
• 1801-1805 Jacob Morton
• 1806-1819 DeWitt Clinton
• 1820-1821 Daniel D. Tompkins
• 1822-1824 Joseph Enos
• 1825-1829 Stephen Van Rensselaer
• 1830-1843 Morgan Lewis
• 1844-1845 Alexander H. Robertson
• 1846-1849 John D. Willard
• 1850 William H. Milnor
• 1850 Henry S. Atwood
• 1851 Oscar Coles
• 1852 Nelson Randall
• 1853 Reuben H. Walworth
• 1854-1855 Joseph D. Evans
• 1856-1859 John L. Lewis Jr.
• 1860 John W. Simons
• 1861 Finlay M. King
• 1862 John J. Crane
• 1863-1864 Clinton F. Paige
• 1865-1866 Robert D. Holmes
• 1867 Stephen H. Johnson
• 1868-1869 James Gibson
• 1870-1871 John H. Anthon
• 1872-1873 Christopher G. Fox
• 1874-1875 Ellwood E. Thorne
• 1876 James W. Husted
• 1877 Joseph J. Couch
• 1878 Edmund L. Judson
• 1879 Charles Roome
• 1880 Jesse B. Anthony
• 1881 Horace S. Taylor
• 1882 Benjamin Flagler
• 1883 J. Edward Simmons
• 1884 William A. Brodie
• 1885-1888 Frank R. Lawrence
• 1889-1890 John W. Voorman
• 1891 William Sherer
• 1892 James Ten Eyck
• 1893 Frederick A. Burnham
• 1894 John Hodge
• 1895-1896 John Stewart
• 1897-1898 William A. Sutherland
• 1899 Wright D. Pownall
• 1900-1901 Charles W. Mead
• 1902-1902 Elbert Crandall
• 1904-1905 Frank H. Robinson
• 1906-1907 Townsend Scudder
• 1908-1909 S. Nelson Sawyer
• 1910-1911 R. Jodson Kenworthy
• 1912-1913 Charles Smith
• 1914-1915 George Freifeld
• 1916-1917 Thomas Penney
• 1918-1919 William S. Farmer
• 1920-1921 Robert H. Robinson
• 1922-1923 Arthur S. Tompkins
• 1924-1925 William A. Rowan
• 1926-1927 Harold J. Richardson
• 1928-1929 John A. Dutton
• 1930-1931 Charles H. Johnson
• 1932-1933 Chris C. Mollenhauer
• 1934-1935 Robert Elliott Owens
• 1936-1937 Jacob Charles Klinck
• 1938-1939 Dana B. Hellings
• 1940-1941 Henry C. Turner
• 1942-1943 William Frederick Strang
• 1944-1945 Charles W. Froessel
• 1946-1947 Gay H. Brown
• 1948-1949 Frank M. Totton
• 1950-1951 Richard A. Rowlands
• 1952-1953 Ward B. Arbury
• 1954-1955 Raymond C. Ellis
• 1956-1957 Nathan Turk
• 1958-1959 H. Lloyd Jones
• 1960-1961 Carl W. Peterson
• 1962-1963 Harry Ostrov
• 1964-1965 Clarence J. Henry
• 1966-1967 Frank C. Staples
• 1968-1969 Charles F. Gosnell
• 1970-1971 William R. Knapp
• 1972-1973 Lloyd S. Cochran
• 1974-1975 Arthur Markewich
• 1976-1977 Albert W. Schneider
• 1978-1979 William R. Punt
• 1980-1981 Bruce Widger
• 1982-1983 Ernest Leonardi
• 1984-1985 Calvin G. Bond
• 1986-1987 Robert C. Singer
• 1988-1989 Roswell T. Swits
• 1990-1991 Richard P. Thomas
• 1992 Sheldon K. Blank
• 1993-1994 Gary A. Henningsen
• 1995-1997 Earle J. Hino Jr.
• 1998-1999 Stewart C. McCloud
• 2000-2001 Carl J. Smith
• 2002-2003 Carl J. Fitje
• 2004-2005 Edward R. Trosin
• 2006-2008 Neal I. Bidnick
• 2008-2009 Edward G. Gilbert
• 2010-2011 Vincent Libone
• 2012-2013 James E. Sullivan
• 2014-2015 William J. Thomas
• 2016-2018 Jeffery M. Williamson
• 2018-2021 William M. Sardone

Notes[]

External links[]

• The Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of New York
• Empire State Mason
• Masonic Medical Research Institute
• Masonic Care Community of New York
• The Chancellor Robert R Livingston Masonic Library of New York
• The DeWint House at Tappan
• Masonic New York Child ID Program
• Camp Turk