Washington's Masonic Correspondence: As Found among the Washington Papers in the Library of Congress

In Short

This volume serves as a documentary record of the relationship between George Washington and the various Masonic lodges that sought his patronage and recognition between 1782 and 1798. By compiling original drafts, letters, and presidential responses found within the Washington Papers at the Library of Congress, the work aims to settle historical debates regarding the extent of his involvement with the fraternity. It functions as both a historical archive and a rebuttal to political detractors, preserving the formal, measured tone of a man who navigated public associations with consistent caution.

The Story

The narrative arc begins in the waning years of the Revolutionary War, specifically in 1782, with an unsolicited gesture from two French merchants, Watson and Cassoul. They sent an embroidered Masonic apron to Washington, framing him as a "glorious orb of America." This sets a recurring pattern: organizations, often newly formed or looking to solidify their standing, reach out to the commander-in-chief and then the President with flowery, laudatory addresses. They seek his validation, hoping to claim him as a brother and a patron of their lodge, often using him as a symbol of the liberty they believe their order helps foster.

Washington’s role is one of restrained reciprocity. He receives these overtures—from lodges in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Georgia—and responds with a standard of courtesy that is at once warm and professional. He rarely initiates these interactions; rather, he manages them as part of his public duties. As the book tracks his correspondence from the Hudson Valley to the presidential mansion in Philadelphia, the reader sees a man who meticulously drafts his replies, often having secretaries prepare fair copies, and occasionally tempering his language after "deliberate consideration." He treats these letters as formal obligations, keeping records of them in his private letter-books with the same attention to detail he applied to his military and state affairs.

The story moves toward a point of tension in the late 1790s. The political climate of the era, marked by fears of radical infiltration and "democratic societies," leads to an attempt by a man named G.W. Snyder to draw Washington into a political argument regarding the influence of secret orders. Snyder tries to bait Washington into commenting on the "diabolical" nature of certain groups. Washington’s reaction is characteristic of his career: he avoids the trap, writes a measured reply that distances him from conspiratorial thinking, and maintains his composure. The book concludes by using these letters—and the physical evidence of the aprons and records—to dismantle the arguments of nineteenth-century anti-Masonic movements. The ending is not a dramatic climax but a resolution of evidence, cementing a record of a man who, while clearly affiliated with the fraternity, prioritized his public responsibilities and personal integrity over any specific organizational dogma.

How It Unfolds

The gesture of fraternity The book opens with the 1782 gift from Watson and Cassoul, establishing the theme of Masonic organizations seeking to link their identity with Washington’s rising fame. These early exchanges highlight the logistical difficulties of the era, as letters and gifts took months to traverse the Atlantic and the war-torn American landscape.

Expanding the correspondence As the revolution transitions into state-building, the frequency of these addresses increases, with lodges in Rhode Island and the Carolinas seeking recognition. The editors provide context for each encounter, noting that these letters were not merely social, but often functioned as a way for local groups to cement their standing in the new nation.

The presidential response The middle section focuses on Washington’s tenure in Philadelphia, where he received formal deputations from Grand Lodges. Here, the correspondence becomes more standardized, reflecting the transition of the former general into a figurehead who balanced personal fraternal ties with the demands of his office.

The final controversy The narrative concludes with the correspondence between Washington and the agitator G.W. Snyder, which provides a test of Washington's temperament. By showing how Washington edited his own drafts to remove inflammatory language, the text illustrates his commitment to national stability over partisan or fraternal polemics.

The People

George Washington remains the steady center of the book, though he is revealed less through personal anecdotes and more through his rigorous, bureaucratic habits. He is a man who values "order and union" above all else, and his primary motivation in this correspondence is to be a polite, dignified figurehead for the institutions that seek him out without becoming entangled in their internal politics. He wants to be seen as a "deserving brother," yet he never allows that title to override his duty as a public servant.

The other central figures are the various Grand Masters, such as Jonathan Bayard Smith and Paul Revere, who represent the organized, often aspirational voice of the lodges. They are motivated by the desire to link their prestige to the most respected man in the country. Standing in their way—or at least providing a hurdle for them—is Washington’s own inherent caution. He is not a man to be easily used for a platform. Then there is G.W. Snyder, the antagonist of the later chapters, who acts as a foil to Washington’s measured nature. A disruptive, irresponsible figure, Snyder tries to force a public declaration from Washington on the dangers of secret societies, only to find himself met with a dispassionate, carefully edited rebuff. These figures together highlight the contrast between those who would use Washington for their own agendas and the man who, by his very nature, consistently refused to be drawn into unnecessary conflict.

In Its Own Voice

Washington addresses the symbolic value of the Masonic regalia sent to him from France during the uncertainty of the Revolutionary War:

The Masonick Ornamts which accompanied your Brotherly Address of the 23d of Jany last, tho' elegant in themselves, were rendered more valuable by the flattering sentiments, and affectionate manner, in which they were presented.

In a letter to the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, Washington reflects on the role of his public service in the context of his fraternal ties:

To have been, in any degree, an instrument in the hands of Providence, to promote order and union, and erect upon a solid foundation the true principles of government, is only to have shared with many others in a labour, the result of which let us hope, will prove through all ages, a sanctuary for brothers and a lodge for the virtues.

What It's Really About

At its core, this book is about the friction between private institutional affiliation and the duties of a public figure. It explores the question of how an individual maintains their own definition of integrity when constant demands are made upon their identity by social and fraternal groups. Washington is examined here not as a man of mystery, but as a man of profound, almost exhausting, professional caution. The arguments within the text are fundamentally about historical legacy: the book seeks to prove that Washington’s association with Freemasonry was a genuine, albeit peripheral, commitment to "benevolence" and "social happiness," rather than the radical or conspiratorial influence that later political critics claimed it to be.

Why Read It Today

Readers interested in the minutiae of the American founding will find this collection fascinating, though it is not a narrative biography. It is a work of primary source documentation, and as such, it carries the dry, precise, and often repetitive tone of the eighteenth-century letters it contains. You will be reading official correspondence—full of formal salutations and carefully phrased pleasantries—that requires a patient ear for the period's deliberate, elevated diction.

The book is rewarding for those who want to see how Washington navigated the pressures of his celebrity. You see him editing his own thoughts, crossing out lines that might be misconstrued, and maintaining a steadfast commitment to the "principles of government" even when writing to his "brothers." It is a study in character, showing that even in his private correspondence with fraternal groups, Washington never truly stopped being the man responsible for the nation’s decorum. While the book contains the occasional polemic from the editor regarding nineteenth-century anti-Masonic prejudices, the heart of the experience is the chance to read the actual, edited drafts of a man who understood that every word he set to paper was a potential document of history. It remains a valuable resource for anyone curious about the intersection of private belief and public duty during the infancy of the American republic.