UPDATED FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2025, 6:00AM: Added information regarding conflict over Biden’s Catholicism and Masonic membership; and information regarding a vacation property in South Carolina used by Biden.
On Sunday, January 19, 2025, MW Victor C. Major, Grand Master of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of South Carolina, made then-President Joe Biden a Master Mason in a private ceremony "in recognition of his outstanding service to the United States of America."
According to Chris Ruli, author of The White House and the Freemasons, "This 'private meeting' to confer honors occurred during a 3-4 minute public photo opportunity. No resolutions of membership were exchanged, no formal acknowledgement received." It would seem that Grand Master Major did little more than shake hands with Mr. Biden and inform him that he was now a Master Mason. There simply wasn't more time.
The Conference of Grand Masters Prince Hall Masons (which does count the MWPHGL of South Carolina as a recognized member of their conference) posted this story and photos on their website shortly after the event. So as far as the Prince Hall Affiliated world is concerned, Mr. Biden is legitimately a Prince Hall Mason. But outside of their Conference, it's doubtful any regular Masons would accept this action and confidently list him as the 15th Masonic President of the United States. At the very least, it will likely require an explanatory footnote.
It would seem that this extraordinary action makes Joe Biden officially the 15th American President who has received the degrees of Freemasonry, as well as the first Prince Hall Affiliated U.S. President.
Photo: MWPHGL of South Carolina
Photo: MWPHGL of South Carolina
According to subsequent reporting, this private meeting took place backstage at the Royal Missionary Baptist Church in North Charleston, South Carolina while Mr. Biden was visiting on his last full day in office. He spoke for about 13 minutes at the church on the day before the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
Online discussions among Masons have been heated all week over this story, and unfortunately, most have improperly revolved around diametrically opposed political opinions concerning Mr. Biden himself, rather than any possible Masonic jurisprudence discussions.
Online discussions among Masons have been heated all week over this story, and unfortunately, most have improperly revolved around diametrically opposed political opinions concerning Mr. Biden himself, rather than any possible Masonic jurisprudence discussions.
Making a Mason "at sight" (or "on sight" as it is sometimes expressed) is a right of grand masters dating to at least as early as the 1730s and was defended by Laurence Dermott when the so-called 'Antients' grand lodge was formed in England in the 1770s. The details even then were undefined, but it is generally interpreted as a method of conferring the degrees of Freemasonry in an accelerated manner. In most cases, that means the candidate witnesses each of the three degrees, performed in full in a temporary or 'occasional' lodge, without having to demonstrate his proficiency before continuing on to the next.
However, none of the information released by the MWPHGL of South Carolina indicates that this particular incident was conducted in this manner.
Some have speculated that this event may have been arranged by U.S. Representative James E. Clyburn, who is a Prince Hall Freemason in South Carolina, but there is no evidence of that at this time. He and Biden have known each other for many years. But because there have been no details given, the question lingers: did Biden actually express a desire to be a Mason, or even formally give his consent? Or did he merely regard it as just one more honorary award given to Presidents in the course of their time in office, like a key to the city or an honorary Boy Scout, after which he shook hands, said thank you, and moved on to the next dignitary that day? Was this just sprung on him that day, or did he know in advance? So far, neither Biden himself nor Grand Master Major have provided any further information.
Interestingly, when Albert Mackey first baked up his list of so-called 'landmarks' that were never widely adopted in or outside of the U.S., he made 'making a Mason at sight' his 8th landmark. But because the actual practice itself has never been widely accepted, nor uniformly defined, there is obviously great leeway in what a grand master can and cannot do, based on the limitations of the laws within his own jurisdiction. The practice has been hotly debated in Masonic jurisprudence for almost three centuries, and is, at the very least, controversial.
Another question that arises is whether Joe Biden could even remotely be considered under the jurisdiction of South Carolina - mainstream, Prince Hall, or otherwise. He's never lived there in his life, and certainly isn't currently a resident. During his presidency he has sometimes stayed at a $20+ million vacation home on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, but neither he nor anyone in his family actually own that property. It belongs to Maria Allwin, widow of the late Aetos real estate hedge fund founder, James Allwin.
And finally, of course, is a topic I hesitate to mention because of the highly charged partisan fights going on in the country right now. But as more and more episodes occur that seem to show Mr. Biden to be having periods of serious lapses of memory and physical infirmity, and given his advanced age in the first place, it must be asked: is he "an old man in dotage" (the dictionary definition being "the period of life in which a person is old and weak; synonymous with elderliness, senescence, and senility")? If this is, in fact, the case, the vast majority of obligations taken by Freemasons the world over forbid us from taking part in conferring Masonry on such persons. So did Grand Master Major violate his own obligation by doing this?
(Getty/Realtor.com)
With all of those qualifiers out of the way (and disregarding any possible partisan political objections to Mr. Biden by Masons among the rank and file members of the MWPHGL of South Carolina), this development presents a curious problem for Masonic chroniclers. Namely, the MWPHGL of South Carolina is not recognized by any so-called mainstream U.S. grand lodge, the United Grand Lodge of England, or any other major regular, recognized Masonic jurisdiction. So, the semantic (and arguably technical) question is, does this really count as legitimate? (See the national joint recognition map below.) It's been several years since I've heard any South Carolina mainstream Masons weigh in on the possibility of Prince Hall recognition in the near future, and I've never heard any PHA Masons in that state raise the possibility (not that either side has any reason to alert me for any reason). Could happen, but let's just say it doesn't seem imminent.
The Conference of Grand Masters Prince Hall Masons (which does count the MWPHGL of South Carolina as a recognized member of their conference) posted this story and photos on their website shortly after the event. So as far as the Prince Hall Affiliated world is concerned, Mr. Biden is legitimately a Prince Hall Mason. But outside of their Conference, it's doubtful any regular Masons would accept this action and confidently list him as the 15th Masonic President of the United States. At the very least, it will likely require an explanatory footnote.
There is also a religious issue that exists. Biden has long been known to be a practicing Roman Catholic, and the Church has forbidden its global flock to join the Freemasons, a prohibition that has been in place since 1738. Despite removal of the word ‘Freemason’ from Canon Law under the Vatican II revisions, subsequent rulings have reaffirmed the prohibition, stating that Catholics who DO become Masons are in a ‘state of grave sin.’ Catholic Masons are to be denied sacraments such as holy communion. (The most detailed exploration of this issue with Biden I’ve seen is on The Pillar website: see ‘Did Joe Biden join the Freemasons? by Ed. Condon).
It should be noted that, despite the Church’s longstanding position on Masonic membership, it is estimated that almost 25% of all American Freemasons today are Roman Catholics, based on several non-scientific polls taken in the last decade. So, if Biden voluntarily sought Masonic membership in spite of the Church’s prohibition (which is not clear at this time), he’d certainly be in good company. But his archbishop may be less than happy about it.
If the PHA Grand Master or any other Mason connected with this event didn’t mention this well-known religious conflict to Biden ahead of time, they did a serious disservice to him that would be extremely irresponsible.
All of this notwithstanding, below is the official wording of the Resolution of Membership issued by MW Victor C. Major, Grand Master of the MWPHGL of South Carolina:
It is with great pleasure that I, Victor C. Major, 27th The Most Worshipful Grand Master, welcome our newest member to the Prince Hall Family. On Sunday, January 19, 2025 at a private event, Master Mason membership with full honors were conferred upon President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. in recognition of his outstanding service to the United States of America.One final note. At the beginning of February, the story and photographs disappeared from the Conference of Prince Hall Grand Masters website and were moved to the website of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of South Carolina HERE.
RESOLUTION OF MEMBERSHIP
To be a Freemason is to be part of a brotherhood dedicated to personal growth, service to others, and the pursuit of knowledge and truth. It is an honor to belong to an organization that promotes these timeless values:
WHEREAS, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. has demonstrated exceptional dedication and service to the United States of America.
WHEREAS, his service reflects the core values of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of South Carolina, including brotherly love, relief, and truth.
WHEREAS, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. contributions have significantly benefited the citizens of the United States of America;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that I, 27th Most Worshipful Grand Master, Victor C. Major, on behalf of the members of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of South Carolina, hereby confer membership upon President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. in recognition of his outstanding service to the United States of America.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution of Membership be recorded in the archives of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of the State of South Carolina.
GIVEN THIS 19th DAY OF January A.D. 2025
Victor C. Major
27th Most Worshipful Grand Master
Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of the State of South Carolina
