Prince Hall Grand Master of South Carolina Makes Joe Biden Freemason "At Sight"

Photo: MWPHGL of South Carolina

by Christopher Hodapp

UPDATED MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2025, 4:15PM: A previous version of this story erroneously stated this ceremony took place in Washington D.C. It was, in fact, in South Carolina.

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."

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

This private meeting took place backstage at the opening of the International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina while Mr. Biden was visiting on his last full day in office, 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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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

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.

(NOTE: As of April 17, 2025, the story has also disappeared from the MWPHGL of South Carolina website, with no explanation.)

Brother Birch Bayh Passes

Indiana Brother and former U.S. Senator Birch Evans Bayh has laid down his working tools and passed to the Celestial Lodge Above on Thursday. He was 91. Regardless of your political beliefs or affiliations, there is no question that Brother Bayh is considered one of the most significant American senators of the last half of the 20th century. During his 18 years in the Senate, he was widely regarded as a constitutional scholar, and is the only member of Congress since the founding fathers to author two successful constitutional amendments, and a third unsuccessful one.

Bayh was born in Terre Haute and grew up on a farm in Shirkieville, Indiana in Vigo County. He served four terms in the Indiana House of Representatives beginning in 1954, and at age 30, was the youngest House Speaker in Indiana history. He successfully ran for U.S. Senate in 1962 at age 34 and became the second youngest senator that year (only fellow Democrat Teddy Kennedy was younger). His surprise election was considered one of the most shocking political upsets of that year. He would win re-election against William D. Ruckelshaus in 1968 and Richard Lugar in 1974. He lost his seat in 1980 to Dan Quayle.

Bayh introduced an amendment shortly after the November 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy that updated the order of succession in the presidency and vice presidency in the case of death, disability or resignation. The 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed in 1967. Bayh also authored the 26th Amendment, passed in 1971, which lowered the voting age across the nation from 21 to 18, a subject of hot debate at a time when 18-year-old Americans were being drafted into the Vietnam War. Its rapid adoption was the quickest ratification of a constitutional amendment in U.S. history. Bayh also authored the Equal Rights Amendment, which failed to be ratified.

He is perhaps best remembered as the principal author of the Title IX amendment to the Education Act in 1972, which granted all groups, but especially women, equal access to education opportunities, including sports. More than 40 years later, Title IX is one of the most commonly cited (and fought over) provisions of Federal education law.

Bayh helped craft and pass the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and he was the architect of the groundbreaking Juvenile Justice Act, which required the separation of juveniles from adults in prison and introduced rehabilitation programs for young offenders. And in 1980, he and fellow Freemason Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kansas, co-sponsored the Bayh-Dole Act that enabled universities and small businesses to take ownership of inventions that came from federally funded research. The 1980 bill motivated universities to take inventions from the lab to the marketplace, and resulted in a huge technology and industrial surge at that time.

Bayh was swept out of office with 11 other Democratic senators by Republicans and the election of President Ronald Reagan in 1980.

In 2003, Indianapolis' Federal Building at 46 E. Ohio St. was renamed in his honor.

He is the father of former Indiana Governor and Senator Evan Bayh.

His wife Marvella died of cancer in 1979. In 1981, Bayh married Katherine “Kitty” Halpin, who survives him, along with his son Evan, a son from his second marriage, Christopher Bayh, and four grandchildren.

Brother Birch Bayh had been a Freemason for 63 years. He joined back in the days when other great men joined the fraternity, or they often became great men after they joined. Such men were influential on society, and their Masonic membership was symbolic of the esteem in which the fraternity was held until just the last two decades. He was initiated February 25th, 1956 in New Goshen Lodge 557; passed as a Fellow Craft March 24th, 1956; and raised as a Master Mason on April 14th, 1956. He demitted from that lodge and affiliated with West Terre Haute Lodge 687 on August 7, 2000. In March 1966, he received the degrees of the York Rite at a class of nearly 300 in Muncie that also included then-Indiana Governor Roger D. Branigin. He received his Award of Gold as a 50 year Mason October 17, 2006.

His column is broken, and his brethren mourn.

Requiescat In Pace.

(Adapted from his obituary in the Indianapolis Star)

Presidential Assassination Attempt Thwarted 66 years Ago

Today, Brother Robert Johnson over on the Midnight Freemasons blog posted a brief story concerning an assassination attempt on November 1st, 1950 against President Harry S Truman by Puerto Rican Nationalists. The incident at the time was described as "...the biggest gunfight the Secret Service had ever seen." In the course of the attack, two White House police officers were wounded, and a third was killed - Leslie William Coffelt (photo). Despite being shot three times, Coffelt returned fire, killing one of the assassins, before he lost consciousness and collapsed from his own mortal wounds. 

Like Truman himself, Officer Leslie Coffelt was a Freemason. Brother Coffelt was a member of the District's Potomac Lodge No. 5.  

After Robert posted the story, he received a link to the Potomac Lodge's Facebook page that includes details about their fallen Brother. You may read it HERE, but not everyone has a Facebook account (hard to believe, I know). So, I reprint it below.

Every November 1st, the brethren of Potomac Lodge No. 5 honor the passing of White House Police Officer and Brother, Leslie W. Coffelt. On this day in 1950, two armed Puerto Rican Nationalists carried out a failed assassination attempt on the life of President Harry S. Truman who was living at the Blair House during the White House renovations. 

On the day of the attempt, Bro. Coffelt was stationed at the west corner guard booth of the Blair House when one of the assassins took Coffelt by surprise and shot him four times at close range, mortally wounding him. The assassin then moved to help his partner who had been engaged in a shootout with other secret service agents. Miraculously, Coffelt stumbled out of the guard booth, propped up against it, and fired his revolver at the assassins from 30 feet away, shooting one in the head, and killing him instantly. The other assassin was taken into custody and Coffelt was rushed to the hospital. He was pronounced dead four hours later. Coffelt was the only officer to die that day and thanks to the bravery of the Secret Service, the two assassins never made it into the building.

Coffelt was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery with a Hero’s Honors. A Masonic Funeral was also performed by Potomac Lodge No. 5, in the presence of Mrs. Coffelt, members of the family, President Truman and Mrs. Truman, as well as other masons across the District of Columbia. The pallbearers for the event were fellow officers of the White House Police and all Freemasons. Pallbearers included: two brothers from Potomac Lodge No. 5, two from Anacostia Lodge No. 21, one from Petworth Lodge No. 47, one from Kemper Lodge No. 64 of Virginia, and one from Spencer Lodge No. 126 of South Dakota. 

 (Click to enlarge.)

Potomac Lodge is fortunate to have a copy of President Truman’s letter to the lodge expressing his sincerest thanks and condolences for the loss of Bro. Coffelt. We also have a letter from FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, who was an active mason, expressing his thanks for sharing a special commemorative newsletter regarding the passing of Bro. Coffelt.

Truman was a Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Missouri and a 33° Scottish Rite Mason, along with being, coincidently, the 33rd President.

Three and a half years later, on March 1st, 1954, four similarly motivated Puerto Rican Nationalists stood up in the spectator balcony overlooking the Chamber of the House of Representatives and opened fire, wounding five Congressmen: Alvin M. Bentley (R-Michigan) took a bullet to the chest, Clifford Davis (D-Tennessee) was shot in the leg, Ben F. Jensen (R-Iowa) was shot in the back, as were George Hyde Fallon (D-Maryland) and Kenneth A. Roberts (D-Alabama). Amazingly, all five survived the shooting.

Out of those five, Bentley, Davis, and Jensen were all Masons.