Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Thomas Hart Benton

Will the real Thomas Hart Benton please stand up? Thomas Hart Benton (1782-1858), Missouri's first senator, was a Freemason who took such a strong stand against slavery in Missouri he was voted out of office.  For this, he was featured in John F. Kennedy's "Profiles in Courage." Thomas Hart Benton (1816-1879) was Grand Master of Iowa and a Union Civil War general credited with saving Albert Pike's Masonic library.  Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975), an artist, was not a Freemason, but painted the mural at the entrance to the Truman Presidential Library.

All three are related. THB, the senator is the uncle of THB, the Grand master and the great uncle of THB the painter.

No comments: