Nat "King" Cole

 

Nat "King" Cole, a member of Thomas Waller Lodge 49 in Los Angeles and a 33° Scottish rite Mason, was an American jazz pianist, singer and one of the first African Americans to have his own television show. Since his death, he has remained enormously popular worldwide, adding five posthumous Grammys to the single one he received during his lifetime. In 1991, Cole's daughter, Natalie, released a duet with videos of her father singing one of his great hits, Unforgettable, winning the 1992 Grammy for Record of the Year. He has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for his work in television and one for his music.

Cole was an active and outspoken participant in the Civil Rights movement, often lamenting the fact that entertainers such as himself were accepted in many situations where African Americans in other professions were not. Recognizing his activism, Both presidents Kennedy and Johnson invited him to the White House during their terms. His television show, which aired in 1956 and 1957 had high ratings and enjoyed critical praise; however, in spite of the fact that he was accepted in some entertainment circles, the show was dropped after two seasons because national advertisers would not support a black man.

At a young age, Brother Nat struggled to get his career off the ground. He went broke and, in his words, "was forced to play in every joint from San Diego to Bakersfield." It was in one of those dives that an inebriated customer stuck a hat on his head, called it a crown, and, in a play on his last name, dubbed him "Old King Cole." The nickname stuck and Cole, truly a king in the world of music, forever became Nat King Cole.

Brother Cole owed his success to a soft baritone voice. He was convinced smoking enhanced his rich singing tone and maintained a three-pack-a-day habit during his adult years. Prior to each recording session, he would smoke several cigarettes in quick succession to enhance the effect. Regrettably, the practice took his life in 1965, when he died of lung cancer at the young age of 45.

The Brother Who Banned Freemasonry — Twice

 

A man of many titles, Aleksándr Pávlovich, better known as Alexander I, served as Emperor of Russia beginning in 1801. During his term, he also became Grand Duke of Finland, King of Poland, and Grand Duke of Lithuania, positions which he held concurrently until his death. He was a busy guy. Although details of his initiation are sketchy, he was said to be a member of Canongate Kilwinning Lodge of Edinburgh, Scotland. There is no doubt, however, he was a member of the Craft in Poland. Alexander was a generous donor to Grand Orient of Poland and, in 1815, he attended a banquet which Polish Masons gave in his honor.

Born in Saint Petersburg, he was the grandson of Catherine the Great, who had reigned as Empress for 34 years until her death in 1796. Alexander's father, Paul I, succeeded her. Paul's attempts to reel in the aristocracy and, at the same time, establish reforms, and grant rights to the peasant class, alienated many of his trusted advisors. Members of the nobility became increasingly wary of Paul's attempts to govern and developed a plot to overthrow him. On March 11, 1801, a group of soldiers whom Paul had dismissed cornered him in his bedroom at St. Michael's Castle and attempted to force him to abdicate. When Paul refused, they brutally murdered him. 

Twenty-three year old Alexander was in the Castle at the time and as the assassins left, instead of murdering him as well, confronted the new Emperor with the warning, "It's time for you to grow up."

Paul I had distrusted Freemasonry and within a few years of becoming Emperor, he banned the fraternity and all other secret societies. With Paul's death, the Craft flourished under Alexander's reign.

Alexander pulled back on his father's reforms, but at the same time began to take measures to monitor the activities of the upper-class, which had killed his father. Eventually, like his father, his distrust of the Masons grew and he also banned Freemasonry. A Brother named Johann Boeber, who later became Grand Master of Russia, spoke up for the Craft and convinced Alexander to reverse the ban.

For years after that Freemasonry grew in Russia with Brother Alexander as an enthusiastic participant.

Once the crisis that brought him into office subsided, Alexander became more liberal in his views, again raising concerns among aristocrats. A series of events over the years, including an attempt at kidnapping him, the murder of one of his agents and rumblings of a revolutionary conspiracy, rekindled his concern. At the same time, his mental health began to deteriorate. He was reported to have become withdrawn and passive, showing signs of paranoia. With all those factors in play, on August 1, 1822, he again banned Freemasonry.

While on a sea voyage, Alexander died of typhus on December 1, 1825. There are other reports of Brothers in positions of power who have banned Freemasonry, but Brother Alexander Pávlovich may hold the distinction of being the only Freemason who banned the fraternity twice.

The Missouri Lodge of Research

 Harry S. Truman was one of the Founding Fathers of the Missouri Lodge of Research, which has a rich and interesting history.