The Supreme Council, Scottish Rite, Northern Jurisdiction oversees the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in fifteen states: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and Vermont.[1] This territory has existed since 1827 when the NMJ gained jurisdiction "over the then 14 states situated east of the Mississippi and north of the Mason-Dixon Line. Wisconsin was not yet a state, but part of Michigan."[2]

Formed in 1813, the Northern Jurisdiction is divided into "Valleys."[3] Each Valley has up to four subordinate bodies, and each body confers a set of degrees. The four subordinate bodies are the Lodge of Perfection, which confers degrees 4 through 14, the Council of Princes of Jerusalem, which confers degrees 15 and 16, the Chapter of Rose Croix which confers the 17° and 18° and the consistory which confers degree from 19 to 32.

History

Beginnings

Most of the thirty-three degrees of the Scottish Rite existed in parts of previous degree systems.[4] In 1767, the Ineffable Lodge of Perfection had been chartered in Albany, NY, and awarded up to the 25th Degree.[5] Similar bodies were formed in Philadelphia and Charleston awarding degrees up to the 25th, but all had died out by 1800.[6]

US states in the Northern Jurisdiction

The Scottish Rite in the United States, and the awarding of degrees up to the 33rd, formally came into being with the creation of the Mother Supreme Council at Charleston, South Carolina, in May 1801.

In 1806, a member of the Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction named Antoine Bideaud traveled to New York City and conferred the 30, 31, and 32 degrees upon John Joseph Gourgas and four other Frenchmen for $46 each.[6] This was done under they table by Bideaud to make a little extra money.

In early 1813, Emmanuel De La La Motta, Grand Treasurer of the Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, was in New York for health reasons and learned of these Scottish Rite Masons. Over the course of a few months, their status was regularized within the Scottish Rite.

The founding six members included the men who would become the first three Sovereign Grand Commanders, Daniel D. Tompkins, Sampson Simson, and John Joseph Gourgas, as well as three others, John Gabriel Tardy, Richard Riker and Moses Levy Maduro Peixotto.[7]

Supreme Council Foundation

On May 1, 1813, an officer from the Supreme Council at Charleston initiated several New York Masons into the Thirty-third Degree and organized a Supreme Council for the "Northern Masonic District and Jurisdiction". On May 21, 1814, this Supreme Council reopened and proceeded to "nominate, elect, appoint, install and proclaim in due, legal and ample form" the elected officers "as forming the second Grand and Supreme Council...". Finally, the charter of this organization (written January 7, 1815) added, "We think the Ratification ought to be dated 21st day May 5815."[8]

The Northern Masonic Jurisdiction had rivals for control of the Scottish Rite in the North, including from the Cerneau Supreme Council. While their dispute was multifaceted, some scholars argue that a chief difference was that the early version of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction was inclusive of Jewish members, while the Cerneau Supreme Council excluded them.[9]

After the Morgan Affair, the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction was inactive from 1832 to 1843,[10] with "Gourgas and Yates were effectively a Supreme Council of two people, preserving the organization’s records and corresponding with one another about the plight of American Freemasonry."[1] During this period, a number of men gave up their memberships as Freemasons in the face of wider anti-Masonic ostracism.[11]

Schism of 1860

In 1860, at a meeting of the Supreme Council, the sitting Sovereign Grand Commander, Edward Asa Raymond, "refused to act on a motion, blocked a motion to adjourn, and then declared the Council closed.  The next day, immediately after the opening and the reading of the minutes, he closed the Council 'sine die,'  or indefinitely, and walked out."[12] Killian Henry Van Rensselaer was elected as Lieutenant Grand Commander in Raymond's absence, who then served as acting Grand Commander.

Raymond would leave the Supreme Council completely, and along with Grand Treasurer Simon W. Robinson, formed their own rival Supreme Council, named after Raymond, which would soon merge with the Hays Cerneau Council. In early 1862, expelled his successor, Killian Henry Van Rensselaer from this new Scottish Rite order.[13]

A few months later, in May 1862, Raymond was accused of "a spirit of insubordination" and attempting to continue to function as Sovereign Grand Commander despite having been removed from office, and expelled from the original Northern Masonic Jurisdiction.[14]

The Schism of 1860, which began as an internal leadership dispute ultimately led to two competing Supreme Councils operated in the Northeast until a reconciliation in 1867.[15]

Officially, the Supreme Council, 33°, N.M.J. dates itself from May 15, 1867, as this was the date of the "Union of 1867", when the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction merged with the competing Hays-Raymond Cerneau Supreme Council[16] in New York, thus forming the current Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction of the United States.[17][18]

20th and 21st centuries

Originally located in New York, the headquarters of the NMJ was in downtown Boston for much of the late 19th and 20th century.[19][20] From 1927 to 1968, the offices were located in the Statler Hotel,[2] moving to Lexington, Massachusetts in 1968.[19] In 2013, the headquarters building was sold to the town of Lexington,[21] with the offices of the Sovereign Grand Commander moving into the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library located next door.

In December 2023, Past Sovereign Grand Commander, David Glattly criticized the Supreme Council over internal bickering and financial mismanagement.[22] In February 2024, Glattly was expelled from the order, initially without explanation. [23][24][25] In March 2024, the current Sovereign Grand Commander, Walter F. Wheeler claimed Glattly's explusion was due to ballot fraud, inappropriate employment practices, lack of budgetary control, expense control and excessive spending, failures of corporate governance and a toxic workplace environment under Glattly’s stewardship.[26]

Philanthropy

Masonic Learning Centers for Children, Inc. which provide tutoring for children with dyslexia in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction is the primary charity of the Northern Jurisdiction.[27]

Leadership

In the Northern Jurisdiction, the Supreme Council consists of no more than 66 members. All members of the Supreme Council are designated Sovereign Grand Inspectors General. In addition, the head of the Rite in each Valley of the Northern Jurisdiction is called a "Deputy of the Supreme Council."[28]

The Northern Jurisdiction meets yearly, in recent years alternating between the headquarters in Lexington, Massachusetts in even years and a large city in the Northern Jurisdiction in odd years.[29] However, in 2023 the annual meeting was in Lexington, Kentucky, which is located in the Southern Jurisdiction.

The head of the NMJ is the Sovereign Grand Commander. A total of 23 men have held this office since 1813, including one who only held the position in an acting capacity.[30] Henry Lynde Palmer's tenure of 30 years was the longest, and Giles Fonda Yates, who served for only 10 days, was the shortest.

Three Sovereign Grand Commanders of the Northern Masonic Jurisdictions have been expelled from Scottish Rite Supreme Councils, either during or after their terms had ended namely Edward Asa Raymond and Klliian Henry Van Rensselaer in 1862 and David Alan Glattly in 2024.

The current Sovereign Grand Commander is Ill. Walter F. Wheeler, 33° who was installed to the post in August 2023 at the annual meeting in Louisville, Kentucky.[28] The list of Sovereign Grand Commanders[31] is as follows:

Number SGC Years in Office Number SGC Years in Office
1 Daniel Decius Tompkins 1813–1825[32] 13 Melvin Maynard Johnson 1933–1953[33]
2 Sampson Simson 1825–1832[34] 14 George Edward Bushnell 1953–1965[35]
3 John James Joseph Gourgas 1832–1851[36] 15 George Adelbert Newbury 1965–1975[37]
4 Giles Fonda Yates 1851[38] 16 Stanley Fielding Maxwell 1975–1985[39]
5 Edward Asa Raymond 1851–1860[40] 17 Francis George Paul 1985–1993[41]
6 Killian Henry Van Rensselaer 1860–1861 (acting); 1862–1867[42][43] 18 Robert Odel Ralston 1993–2003[44]
7 Josiah Hayden Drummond 1867–1879[45] 19 Walter Ernest Webber 2003–2006[46]
8 Henry Lynde Palmer 1879–1909[47][48] 20 John William McNaughton 2006–2017[49]
9 Samuel Crocker Lawrence 1909–1910[50] 21 David Alan Glattly 2017–2021[51]
10 Barton Smith 1910–1921[52] 22 Peter John Samiec 2021–2023[53]
11 Leon Martin Abbott 1921–1932[54] 23 Walter F. Wheeler 2023–Present[55][28]
12 Frederic Beckwith Stevens 1932–1933 (acting)[56]

Membership

Total membership has fluctuated over the years, reaching a peak in the late 1960s:[2]

Year Total membership Year Total membership
1879 7,366 1969 510,583
1909 61,252 1979 502,114
1929 300,839 1989 412,612
1939 209,385 1999 296,687
1949 377,845 2009 171,230
1959 489,198 2019 99,273

Degree structure

Members of the Northern Jurisdiction are required to have achieved the third degree or Master Mason degree in their local lodges before they can apply to join the Scottish Rite. The Northern Jurisdiction offers 29 additional degrees, with a final 33rd degree conferred as an honor for service to the fraternity and society. However, taking these additional degrees does not give one higher "rank" in Masonry. While the higher numbering might imply a hierarchy, the additional degrees are considered "appendant degrees". They represent a lateral movement in Masonic education rather than an upward movement, and are degrees of instruction rather than rank.[57]

In 2004, the Northern Jurisdiction rewrote and reorganized its degrees[58] and further changes occurred in 2006.[59] As of 2023, the degrees offered by the Northern Jurisdiction can be divided into four categories:

  1. Lodge of Perfection (4°–14°); set in the Old Testament
  2. Council of Princes of Jerusalem[60] (15° and 16°); set during and after the Babylonian Captivity
  3. Chapter of Rose Croix[61] (17° and 18°); set before and during the time of Jesus
  4. Consistory[62] (19°–32°); set from the Middle Ages to 1943

Some of the degrees are historical, while others can be considered historical fiction. As of 2024, the topics of the degrees are as follows:[63]

Degree Name[64] Setting and/or Topic Degree Name[62] Setting and/or Topic
4° Builder Present Day/Hiram Abiff 19° Brothers of the Trail Oregon Trail (1849)[65]
5° Perfect Master Nadab and Abihu 20° Master ad Vitam George Washington 

and Benedict Arnold (1784)[66]

6° Master of the Brazen Serpent Neushtan 21° Patriarch Noachite Imperial Free City of Dortmund (1190s)
7° Provost and Judge Building of Solomon's Temple 22° Prince of Libanus Lumberjacks in the Pacific Northwest

(Late 1800s or early 1900s)

8° Intendant of the Building Adonijah 23° Knight of Valor Four Chaplains (1943)[67]
9° Master of the Temple Dedication of Solomon's Temple 24° Brother of the Forest Native Americans and

Colonial America (late 1700s)[68]

10° Master Elect[69] Solomon and his wives 25° Master of Achievement Benjamin Franklin (1788)[70]
11° Sublime Master Elected Tax Collectors during the Reign of Solomon 26° Friend and Brother Eternal[71] Friend to Friend Masonic Memorial (1863)[72]
12° Master of Mercy Joseph 27° Knight of Jerusalem Pope Honorius III and Emperor Frederick II (1223)[73][74]
13° Master of the Ninth Arch Vault of Enoch 28° Knight of the Sun Elias Ashmole (1650) 
14° Grand Elect Mason Initiation Ceremony 29° Knight of Saint Andrew Battle of Nicopolis (1396)
15° Knight of the East[75] Zerubbabel during the Babylonian Captivity[76] 30° Grand Inspector A Courtroom

Reign of Edward II (1307- 1327)

16° Prince of Jerusalem Building of the Second Temple[76] 31° My Brother's Keeper Green Dragon Tavern (1770)
17° Knight of the

East and West

Herod's reign, main gate of the Second Temple 32° Sublime Prince of the Royal Secret Knighthood; Middle Ages
18° Knight of the

Rose Croix de Heredom

Old Testament; Crucifixion; Resurrection 33° Sovereign Grand Inspector General Tribe of Levi

33rd Degree

In the Northern Jurisdiction, there is a 46-month requirement for eligibility to receive the 33rd degree, and while there is both a Meritorious Service Award and a Distinguished Service Award, they are not required as intermediate steps towards the 33°. A recipient of the 33rd Degree is an honorary member of the Supreme Council and is therefore called an "Inspector General Honorary." However, those who are appointed Deputies of the Supreme Council that are later elected to membership on the Supreme Council are then designated "Sovereign Grand Inspectors General."

See also

References

  1. ^ Website of the Northern Jurisdiction
  2. ^ a b c "History of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction". Scottish Rite, NMJ. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  3. ^ Valleys of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction
  4. ^ de Hoyos, Arturo, "Development of the Scottish Rite Rituals", in Scottish Rite Ritual, Monitor and Guide 2d ed. (Washington, D.C.: Supreme Council, 33°, S.J., 2009), pp. 109-118.
  5. ^ "The Lodge of Perfection". Scottish Rite, NMJ. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  6. ^ a b "History of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction". Scottish Rite, NMJ. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
  7. ^ "Original minutes and letters of constitution of Supreme Council, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, 1813-1814". www.digitalcommonwealth.org. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  8. ^ de Hoyos, Arturo (2010). "A Brief History of Freemasonry and the Origins of the Scottish Rite". The Scottish Rite Ritual Monitor and Guide (PDF) (3rd ed.). Washington, D.C.: Supreme Council, 33°, Southern Jurisdiction. p. 109. ISBN 978-0-9708749-3-1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-11-23.
  9. ^ Joseph Cerneau vs. Emanuel De La Motta: Understanding the Founding of the Scottish Rite's Northern Masonic Jurisdiction in 1813 through the Lens of Religious Intolerance – Jeffrey Croteau
  10. ^ "Proceedings ... 1781-1862". HathiTrust. Retrieved 2023-11-10.
  11. ^ "Manuscript copy of a letter from Giles F. Yates to Nathan N. Whiting, 1828 April 4 · digitalVGW". digitalvgw.omeka.net. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
  12. ^ "Scottish Rite Boston". www.scottishriteboston.net. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
  13. ^ "Raymond Supreme Council expulsion certificate for Charles W. Moore and Killian H. Van Rensselaer, 1862 January 22 · digitalVGW". digitalvgw.omeka.net. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
  14. ^ "Supreme Council expulsion certificate for Edward A. Raymond and Simon W. Robinson, 1862 May 22 · digitalVGW". digitalvgw.omeka.net. Retrieved 2024-02-18.
  15. ^ "Supreme Council expulsion certificate for Edward A. Raymond and Simon W. Robinson, 1862 May 22 · digitalVGW". digitalvgw.omeka.net. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
  16. ^ "Announcement of the union of the Hays and Raymond Supreme Councils, 1863 March 1". www.digitalcommonwealth.org. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
  17. ^ de Hoyos, Arturo, "The Union of 1867" in Heredom (Washington, D.C.: Scottish Rite Research Society, 1995), vol. 5:7-45.
  18. ^ "Timeline of 32° Freemasonry". Scottish Rite, NMJ. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  19. ^ a b "Timeline of 32° Freemasonry". Scottish Rite, NMJ. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  20. ^ "History of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction". Scottish Rite, NMJ. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  21. ^ "Lexington to purchase Masonic site". boston.com. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  22. ^ Hodapp, Christopher (2023-12-31). "Freemasons For Dummies: AASR NMJ Past Commander David Glattly Speaks Out". Freemasons For Dummies. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
  23. ^ "Expulsion of David A. Glattly, Past Sovereign Grand Commander, from…". Scottish Rite, NMJ. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
  24. ^ "Past Sovereign Grand Commander David Glattly 33° Expelled from the Scottish Rite NMJ". My Freemasonry | Freemason Information and Discussion Forum. 2024-02-16. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
  25. ^ Hodapp, Christopher (2024-02-15). "Freemasons For Dummies: Past Sovereign Grand Commander David Glattly 33° Expelled from the Scottish Rite NMJ". Freemasons For Dummies. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
  26. ^ "STATEMENT OF FACTS: DAVID A. GLATTLY". Scottish Rite, NMJ. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
  27. ^ "Home • Children's Dyslexia Centers". Children's Dyslexia Centers. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  28. ^ a b c "Leadership of 32° Freemasonry". Scottish Rite, NMJ. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  29. ^ "Supreme Council - 33° Conferral". Ft. Wayne Scottish Rite, AASR NMJ. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  30. ^ "From a Point to a Line: Twenty Sovereign Grand Commanders". freemasons-freemasonry.com. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  31. ^ "Sovereign Grand Commanders". Scottish Rite, NMJ. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  32. ^ "Original minutes and letters of constitution of Supreme Council, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, 1813-1814". www.digitalcommonwealth.org. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  33. ^ Images, Historic. "1935 Press Photo Melvin M.Johnson, Sovereign Grand Commander of Boston". Historic Images. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  34. ^ Brady, Mathew B. (1844). "[Sampson Simson, an American philanthropist, a founder of Jews' Hospital in New York, now Mount Sinai Hospital, and a Grand Commander of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry (Northern Jurisdiction), wearing spectacles]". loc.gov. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  35. ^ "George E. Bushnell papers, 1921-1965 - University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library - University of Michigan Finding Aids". findingaids.lib.umich.edu. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  36. ^ "Letter from Moses Holbrook to John James Joseph Gourgas, 1826 April 13". digitalcommonwealth.org. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  37. ^ "Honorary 33° certificate issued to George Adelbert Newbury, 1940 September 25". www.digitalcommonwealth.org. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  38. ^ "Certificate of Appointment to the Supreme Council, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction, for Giles Fonda Yates, 33°". digitalcommonwealth.org. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  39. ^ "Honorary 33° certificate issued to Clement Mario Silvestro, 1981 September 30". www.digitalcommonwealth.org. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  40. ^ "A Brief History of Boston-Lafayette Lodge of Perfection". scottishriteboston.net. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  41. ^ "Honorary Scottish Rite Mason certificate issued by the Supreme Councils of the United States to President Ronald Reagan, 1988 February 11". digitalvgw.omeka.net. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  42. ^ "Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library Blog". Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library Blog. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  43. ^ "Scottish Rite, NMJ | History of the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction". Scottish Rite, NMJ. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  44. ^ "Obituary for Robert Odel Ralston". Shorten and Ryan Funeral Home-Mason. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  45. ^ "Letter from Sovereign Grand Commander Josiah H. Drummond to John Sheville, 1870 July 8 · digitalVGW". digitalvgw.omeka.net. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  46. ^ "Illustrious Walter E. Webber Obituary". tributearchive.com. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  47. ^ "Palmer, Henry Lynde, 7th Grand Master". knightstemplar.org. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  48. ^ "Honorary emeritus membership certificate issued to Sovereign Grand Commander Henry L. Palmer, 1889 March 1". digitalvgw.omeka.net. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  49. ^ "The Path Forward for 32° Freemasonry". Scottish Rite, NMJ. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  50. ^ "Sovereign Grand Commanders". Scottish Rite, NMJ. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  51. ^ "David A. Glattly, GC". DeMolay International. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  52. ^ "QUITS HIGH MASONIC POST.; Barton Smith, 33d, Resigns as Head of the Scottish Rite". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  53. ^ "The Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite". Scottish Rite, NMJ. Retrieved 2022-12-29.
  54. ^ "33° active member certificate issued to Leon Martin Abbott · digitalVGW". digitalvgw.omeka.net. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  55. ^ Hodapp, Christopher (2023-08-28). "Freemasons For Dummies: AASR-NMJ: Illus. Walter F. Wheeler Installed As Grand Commander". Freemasons For Dummies. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  56. ^ "Scottish Rite, NMJ | Sovereign Grand Commanders". Scottish Rite, NMJ. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  57. ^ Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction website: Frequently asked questions - "Are Scottish Rite degrees higher than those of a Master Mason?"
  58. ^ Freemasons for Dummies, Christopher Hodapp, ISBN 0-7645-9796-5, Hungry Minds Inc, U.S., 2005. pp. 224-225
  59. ^ The Northern Light Magazine, November 2006; p. 6 "Ritual Changes."
  60. ^ "The Council of Princes of Jerusalem". Scottish Rite, NMJ. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  61. ^ "The Chapter of Rose Croix". Scottish Rite, NMJ. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  62. ^ a b "The System of Degrees | The Scottish Rite". www.scottishritechicago.org. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  63. ^ "The Masonic Pageant". Cornerstone Book Publishers. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
  64. ^ Freemasons for Dummies, Christopher Hodapp, ISBN 0-7645-9796-5, Hungry Minds Inc, U.S., 2005. pp. 226-227
  65. ^ "Scottish Rite 19th Degree". Scottish Rite, NMJ. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  66. ^ "Scottish Rite 20th Degree". Scottish Rite, NMJ. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  67. ^ "Scottish Rite 23rd Degree". Scottish Rite, NMJ. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  68. ^ "Scottish Rite 24th Degree". Scottish Rite, NMJ. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  69. ^ Formerly "Master Elect of Fifteen." The Northern Light Magazine, November 2006
  70. ^ "Scottish Rite 25th Degree". Scottish Rite, NMJ. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  71. ^ Formerly "Prince of Mercy." The Northern Light Magazine, November 2006
  72. ^ "Scottish Rite 26th Degree". Scottish Rite, NMJ. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  73. ^ "Scottish Rite 27th Degree". Scottish Rite, NMJ. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  74. ^ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  75. ^ "Council of Prices of Jerusalem Degrees". Scottish Rite, NMJ. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  76. ^ a b "Wayback Machine" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
Categories